What a Life
by blondegirl09
Summary: Ino x Shikamaru. My take on what their lives would be life if they were together. Written in Ino's POV. Rated M for content in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: It has been a little over a year since I have felt the urge to write. Now that I want to write again, I figured that I would start a new story. I started a story a while back called "The life of Ino Nara." After three chapters, I gave up on that story.**

**P.S.- I don't own Naruto. If I did, you could just watch this in the anime or manga. Nevertheless, I am just writing this story. =)**

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><p><span>What a Life<span>

_Snow fell from the clouds and added to the blanket of snow already covering the ground. As I looked around, I could see snowmen with hats and scarfs wrapped around them, sleds left behind from a long day of play, even the occasional igloo. However, no children were in sight. This meant only one thing in my 7 year old mind, they were already opening their presents. _

"_Daddy, come on we have to hurry." I paused, trying to push my hat from over my eyes. "If we don't walk faster we will miss the presents." Looking up at my father with big puppy dog eyes, I whined, "We can't miss the presents!"_

_My father looked down at me as we continued to walk at the irritatingly slow pace. "Don't worry Ino, we are almost there. If we walk any faster, you could slip. Then your pretty outfit would be all messed up. Your mother would be so disappointed." He tisked rolling his eyes up toward the sky. "We can't have that can we?" _

_After taking a moment to think I realized, of course, he was right. If I messed my party outfit up, there would be no presents tonight, or ever again. Therefore, we continued to walk slowly. 'At this rate Christmas will be over and I will miss it.' I thought looking at the ground. When I looked up, I could see the house. Lights were flowing out of the windows and jolly music could be heard._

_Eagerly, I ripped my hand out of my fathers and started to run. My feet slipped from under me and the ground started to rise. I shut my eyes, waiting for it to hit. An arm wrapped around my waist and lifted me up before I touched the powdery snow._

"_Ino, be careful, do you want your mother to kill me?" my father looked at me pleadingly. He set my feet back on the ground and took my hand in his. "Come on Ino, let's get into the house before we get frostbite." _

_We took the last few steps and he knocked on the door. Almost immediately, it opened and warm air hit my face. "Inoichi, what took you so long? Your wife was beginning to worry. Come on inside and get out of the cold." Shikaku Nara said. We stepped into the house and placed our shoes with the others piled in the entrance. Quickly I removed my hat, coat, and scarf so I could put it with my fathers on the hook. _

"_Ino, that can't be you!" Mr. Nara said. "Look how much you have grown since you were here a few days ago. Shikamaru is in his room, you wouldn't mind going to get him, would you? It is almost time to open the gifts" My eyes lit up and I raced off to Shikamarus' room yelling "Sure" as I went. _

_I stopped at Shikamarus' door and knocked quickly before opening it and walking in. "Shikamaru why are you sitting in your room when there is a party out there?" I directed my question to the dark haired boy lying on his bed, looking as if he was sleeping. Of course, I knew better then to believe it._

_His eyes opened and his head turned towards me. "What a drag, all I wanted to do was open a present or two and then go to sleep. Tomorrow there will be plenty more presents anyway. Now my parents have invited half the town and this ordeal will take forever. I looked at him impatiently. "If you would get your butt up and get out there we could all start to open our presents faster." He jumped off his bed and stared at me again. "You are so troublesome Ino." _

_I grabbed his sleeve and pulled his out to the party. The rest of the children were already sitting on the floor. Shikamaru and I sat down and the presents were handed out. My gift was wrapped with shiny purple paper. Eagerly, I ripped away the paper, before reading whom the gift was from, and opened the box._

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><p>"Wow a new scarf!" I said excitedly. The scarf was woven from many different colors of purple. Smiling I wrapped the scarf around my neck. Later, I walked into Shikamarus' room and sat on the floor beside the bed. The scarf was still wrapped around my neck and he made it a point to tell me. "Ino, you do know that we are inside and there is no need to wear that scarf, right?" Rolling my eyes, then smiling sweetly I said, "I'll have to thank your mom for getting it for me. Isn't she just the sweetest?"<p>

"No she's troublesome, just like you." He said while closing his eyes. Silence hung in the air. As I looked over the bed and out the window, I realized it was snowing. "Shikamaru look!" He opened one of his eyes and looked out the window. "Ino" he said with disinterest "It is snowing, it snows every year. Why are you so excited?"

"It is the first snow of the year. Plus, it is on Christmas Eve, the last time that happened was like five years ago. We were like 7 years old then. " He looked at me and continued to frown. "Oh Shikamaru, you are such a kill joy!" He smirked and looked at the door when someone knocked. My mom poked her head into the room. "Ino, get your things, it is time to go home. And Shikamaru, your mother is asking for you." With that, she was gone and I stood up. "Well Mr. Kill joy I guess I'll see you back in school." I walked through the house toward the front door. Only to find Mrs. Nara waiting there.

"Thank you so much for the scarf, I love it." I told her. She looked at me and smiled. "It was no problem Ino; I saw it and knew you would." Her eyes darted toward the ceiling and she laughed. "Whoops, someone was caught under the mistletoe." I looked up only to realize it was me. I tried to jump backwards, but I ran into someone. Turning, I ended up face to face with Shikamaru.

"Fantastic, why are you standing there?" I said without thinking. His face turned an even deeper shade of red. "Don't worry Ino; you don't have to kiss me that would be way too troublesome." Realizing that I hurt his feelings, I gently reached up and kissed his cheek. His eyes widened. I turned threw on my coat, hat, shoes, and new scarf. I shouted one final "Merry Christmas" to the house and walked out the door.

The ground was covered in a thin blanket of snow. My mom chatted to my dad about the party and what needed to be done around our house before school started again. I followed behind my parents, but I was only halfway listening. The other half of me was trying to calm the butterflies that were flying around in my stomach.

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><p><strong>Well, that ends that first chapter. What did you all think? Please review because reviews make me smile. I will try to update later in the week. I am taking a college course this summer, so I will, hopefully, have time towards the end of the week. Maybe sooner, who knows? Until next chapter. <strong>

** Blondegirl09 **


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: I should start by saying that I AM SO SORRY. I wanted to update sooner then this; however, I got more work than I thought for my summer college class. Therefore, to apologize, I decided to write a longer chapter. I hope you enjoy it! Oh and I even started writing this chapter on my birthday, although it took a few days to finish it.**

**P.S.- I don't own Naruto. If I did, you could just watch this in the anime or manga. Nevertheless, I am just writing this story. =)**

What a Life

_The sound of jingle bells and merry songs echoed in my head as I rolled under the covers of my bed. My eyes fluttered open and I gazed at the window in my room. Snowflakes fell toward the ground and a thin layer of frost stuck to the glass. As I looked around my room I saw some of the many presents, I had received for Christmas. Three sweaters that had yet to be put away, boots I could wear in the snow, a new doll that had long blonde hair, and blue eyes. _

_Finally my eyes rested on my book bag. 'That's right school starts again today, Christmas break is over.' I unwrapped myself from my blankets and stepped on the cold floor. Feeling as if I stepped on ice, I wished I had stayed in bed. Quickly, I slipped on my slippers and sluggishly walked out of my room. _

_Making my way down the hallway, I glanced at the pictures on the wall. There were pictures of my mother and father, pictures of me growing up, some pictures of my father's team. One picture in particular caught my interest. Two toddlers sat together on the floor. One was a boy and the other a girl. The boy had strands of black hair and dark eyes, while the girl had blonde hair and blue eyes. 'I have known Shikamaru way to long.' _

_The smell of pancakes and melted butter reached my nose and I practically floated into the kitchen. "Ino, good you're awake! Sit down and eat breakfast." My mother said. I sat at the table next to my father and ate my pancakes as he read the paper._

_Laughing came from outside the window and I realized that children were already outside. Some were playing in the snow and others were making their way to school. Quickly I ran to my room and threw open my closet doors. I slid tights on and then my new long sleeve dress. It was the present I received from the Naras'. Then I tugged on socks and my new snow books. I grabbed my brush and ran it through my hair._

_I ran back down the hallway and all but jumped down the stairs. My dad was waiting for me by the door. He grabbed my hat and coat off the hook and helped me put them on. He pushed the door open and we ventured out into the snow. __I walked hand-in-hand with my father through the snow-covered streets. Still uneasy of slipping I squeezed my father's hand tighter. "So daddy, Iruka-sensei said he would be learning about chakra control." I beamed up at him. "That's nice sweetheart, just make sure you are careful. Soon you will be throwing shuriken and doing jutsu. My baby is growing up so fast!" He said. _

_We walked to the front gate of the school and my father released his grip on my hand and bent down to my level. "Okay Ino have fun at school and remember not to walk home alone. I will see you in two weeks when I get home from my mission. I love you." He said as he pulled me into a hug. "I love you too daddy" hugging him back. He stood back up and I turned to walk to the school. Knowing he would be there, I turned around when I got the door and waved goodbye. Then I opened the door and walked inside. I slipped off my coat and hat and put them in my cubby, and walked to my classroom. _

_As I opened the door, I realized that all the students were standing around. Iruka-sensei was standing in front of the room writing names on the board. "Okay class, there are names on the chairs. Please find your name and sit down in your seat. Before anyone asks, no you cannot switch seats with other students. NARUTO STOP CLIMBING ON THE DESKS." I giggled at the last part; Naruto was always setting into trouble. _

_'Oh maybe if I am lucky I can sit next to Sakura since she is my best friend, or what if I get to sit next to Sasuke!" I rushed to find my seat. Since Sasuke was the cutest and smartest boy ever, I would have to sit next to him right. I found my name on a chair and sat down. Since I was next to the wall, only one person would sit next to me. 'Who is it, who is it?' I questioned in my head. The chair slid out next to me before I could look at the name and my head snapped around to see who it was._

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><p>"Shikamaru, wakeup class has started" angrily I poked him in the head. "Why do I need to be awake, class is so trouble…" "Don't say troublesome Shikamaru; remember Iruka-sensei is going to name squads today." Iruka- sensei walked in and started naming the squads, saying how each three-man squad was picked to be balanced. 'Please, please, please let me be on a squad with Sasuke' I hoped.<p>

The squads continued to be named. "Squad 7, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha." My heart fell when I heard it. It did not help that Sakura was gloating. "I don't get it what do you see in a guy like that, he is not so special." Trying to explain why this bothered me, to Shikamaru, was like trying to talk to a rock, useless. "Jealousy is a terrible thing I would hate to be on your squad."

No sooner then the sentence left my mouth, "Squad 10, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Chouji Akimichi." 'This is perfect, not only am I forced to be on a team with Shikamaru, but Chouji aka Food boy too!' We were the last squad so Iruka-sensei stopped talking for a moment. Then he started to talk about squad leaders.

Iruka-sensei told the class how each squad would meet their Jounin squad leaders after lunch. The only thing I was worrying about was how I was going to survive this. I walked with Shikamaru and Chouji to find somewhere to eat lunch. "How about the balcony over there" Chouji suggested. "Fine, just not anywhere too far away, man this is so troublesome." I rolled my eyes and though about my current situation. As we ate, I decided to announce that the team had to listen to me that is how it would work. Although, I did not like the look Shikamaru gave me, you could tell that he was thinking something annoying.

"If we are all done, we should probably go meet the squad leader now." Shikamaru said. "Who do you guys think it will be? It has to be someone strong, and someone with a lot of patience, oh and also a jounin, of course," I said. Thinking about it I quickly added, "Maybe it is my dad. Who else would be better to teach us then him?"

Shikamaru gave me a bored look and said, "Ino remember, your dad, my dad, and choujis' dad are on a mission. Come to think of it, why were you so surprised to hear we were all on the same team? It is just the next generation of Ino-Shika-Cho. Our dads were on the same team. It is not rocket science. Furthermore, if you wait like five minutes, we will meet out squad leader. Why are you so troublesome?" I rolled my eyes at him and turned to walk away. 'Why didn't I think of that? Duh Ino. Nevertheless, I cannot let Shikamaru know he was right. He is so troublesome. Oh no now I even sound like him, how can this day get any worse!'

We walked into the classroom together and met our squad leader. He was sitting in the front of the classroom waiting for us. "Hello my name is Asuma Sarutobi. I will be the squad leader for team 10. I hope you did not eat a large lunch because I would like to take you to a restaurant, that way we can all get to know each other." He said smiling. "Of course we didn't eat a big lunch, I can eat all the time!" Chouji said enthusiastically. I rolled my eyes, 'oh darn, I ate a whole rice ball for lunch, if I eat more that will throw me off my diet. I know I can go eat now and then run home. On the other hand, maybe I can walk home and eat just a little dinner. What did mom say we were having for dinner tonight?' As I thought this through, I realized that Asuma-sensei was talking to me.

"Ino, hello Ino is anyone in there? Are you okay with going to the restaurant with us?" He said waving his hand in front of my face. Quickly I said, "Yes I'll go." With that, he walked past me, Chouji at his heels. I turned to follow but a hand on my arm stopped me. "What were you thinking about Ino? Don't tell me you are on one of your stupid diets again." Shikamaru scowled at me. "Actually I was just thinking about what is for dinner tonight." I replied only halfway lying. "We can ask my mom when we get to my house. Remember we are going to my house after school today. Then your mom is going to meet us there after the shop closes. Then we are all going to eat dinner together, and you will probably be stuck at my house for hours after dinner, considering the way our moms talk. This is turning into more trouble than it is worth."

He turned to walk away. "Oh and Ino, you know you can't lie to me after all these years. I know you are dieting, and it is stupid. Look at you, how can you think that you need to diet?" I ran after him. He expected me to get mad and yell at him, but I was not going to. I would simply ignore him.

When we caught up with Asuma- sensei and Chouji, they were already at the front doors of the school. We walked through town and I wondered where we were going. We ended up going to Yakiniku Q. I had been here enough with my family to know that it was a restaurant with good food. Actually, Yakiniku Q was famous in Konohagakure for its salted beef tongue.

We sat at a booth and ordered to a server, who smiled a lot at Asuma-sensei. It was as if she forgot that the three genin were there too. 'I have had enough of this, she is completely ignoring us!' "Excuse me Miss, could you take our orders back to the kitchen and stop flirting with our sensei. I would like to eat food before next year please." I smiled as she blushed and walked away. "Well Ino, you don't seem to have any problem expressing you opinions." Asuma-sensei said and laughed.

"I have heard a lot about all of you; some information from Iruka, some from your fathers. Ino you are a very confident and out spoken girl, and like many of the girls in the village, you are very interested in boys and what they think of you. Let me tell now that once training starts, there will not be any time for boys. Chouji you are a very kind, caring, and polite person. Those attributes may be your greatest strength; however, you like to eat. I think I have found a way to use this, as a strength, but only time will tell."

"Lastly, Shikamaru, you seem to be unenthusiastic about everything. I hear that you like to watch clouds, which is a nice hobby, but not during training. But, according to both Shikaku and Iruka, you have a strong moral compass and a strong sense of commitment to your friends. All in all this team seems to be well rounded. If you are anything like your fathers, you will be some of the best ninja in the village." He stopped when the food arrived. The server failed to make any eye contact and scurried off to another table. While the food cooked, he continued to talk.

"Before we eat I would like to tell you about myself. As you know, my name is Asuma Sarutobi and I am a Jounin level ninja. I am not married nor do I have any children. I am typically a laid-back kind of person. I enjoy playing shogi in my spare time. I smoke two packs of cigarettes a day, so if you have a problem with that, get over it now. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them whenever you like, if not let's eat."

After Asuma-sensei paid for lunch we all went our separate ways. Chouji walked towards his house, Asuma-sensei disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and Shikamaru and I walked towards his house. The walk was almost silent except for the sound of our shoes scuffing the ground. When we reached the door of the Nara house, Shikamaru walked in and took off his shoes.

"Mom I'm home. Ino is here too." "Okay Shikamaru, Ino would you come in the kitchen for a minute?" she yelled. I took off my shoes and moved to the kitchen. "Ino, your mom stopped by a little while ago and said that she would not be able to make it to dinner tonight, something about one of your cousins being sick. However, she said that you could stay for dinner and of course I won't take no for an answer." I smiled and said "Thank you, is there anything I can do to help?" She replied, "No, no just go on to Shikamarus' room or whatever and I'll call you both when dinner is ready."

I walked out of the kitchen and went to Shikamarus' room. The door was closed but, as I had done for years, I walked right in. Shikamaru was sitting on the floor looking at a shogi board. "I don't get how you play that game, it is so confusing." I said as I lay on the bed. "Not really, all you have to do is capture the opponents king." He said back in a mocking tone. "I would teach you but that would just be too troublesome." "I said not to say that to me again Shikamaru!" My temper ignited. He looked up at me and smirked "Troublesome, troublesome, troublesome."

I lost all rationality and launched myself off the bed. The shogi board tumbled as I pushed Shikamaru down stared at stared at him. "Why are you so annoying, why do you constantly have to annoy me, how are we going to work together on a team if we can't go a day without arguing?" Just then, Mrs. Nara appeared in the doorway. "Actually Ino I could use your help with…" She stopped and stared at us. As the three of us were frozen staring at each other, I realized that I still had Shikamaru pinned to the floor and our faces were literally a few inches apart.

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><p><strong>Authors Note: Okay, so I know how everyone just loves cliffhangers. I hate them, but that is just me right? I will update as soon as I can. I know I have another exam coming in the next week or two so, hopefully, I can update before then. In the meantime,… please, please, please comment. Since the chapter is almost twice as long, you all will comment right (Well all meaning anyone who is still reading this)? I love to read comments! Comments brighten my day. Until the next chapter, <strong>

**Blondegirl09 3**


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note: So here is the next chapter. My grandparents got me a new laptop for my birthday, since it is new, I will lose my old laptop for a few days. The person who fixes our computers has to put all my documents and programs, from this laptop, on the new one. This means I will be without a computer for about a week. Since my day has been brightened by *****tealightbirdy99* (who gave my story its first comment), I have decided to hurry and write the new chapter. This also means that the cliffhanger will be no more, everyone cheers. So enjoy!**

**P.S.- I don't own Naruto. If I did, you could just watch this in the anime or manga. Nevertheless, I am just writing this story. =)**

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><p><span>What a Life<span>

_The air was warm at the beginning of August. It was not too hot, but also not to cold. The sun was setting behind the trees, giving the entire sky a pinkish color. It was really the perfect end to a nice day. "Mom can't we go outside now, we have been in the house forever!" I whined as my parents looked at me. I was on my tippy toes and I could just see over the tall dining room table they sat at. "Well Yoshiro, should we move outside and relax after dinner?" my mom asked. "I guess so, since we have been inside forever, it might be nice to see the sun after all this time."_

"_Freedom!" I yelled as the door of the house was opened and I ran into the back yard. The grass tickled my feet as I moved across it and the warm air surrounded me. After I took a breath I announced to no one in particular, "There is so much more air outside then in the house." "Duh." The boy who was walking behind me smartly said. He sat down and looked up at the clouds._

"_Ino, do not walk to far from the house I want you to stay where we can see you." My mother yelled from the back porch of the Nara's house. 'I am 6 years old, when I am going to be able to do anything.' "Yeah Ino, just sit down and look at the clouds. Your mommy says not to run away." Shikamaru laughed and continued to stare at the sky._

"_Oh Shikamaru be quiet. What is she going to do when school starts soon? Is she going to walk me into class, sit with me, and take notes for me? What about when we start to throw kunai, is she going to make sure the edges are not too pointy so I won't poke my eye out. She is so over protective!" I complained._

_Shikamaru glanced at me and grinned, "You know you could probably get her to sit and take notes for you, ha that would make class less troublesome." I lay down in the grass beside him and stared at the sky, I was not really focusing on it though. "School has not even started yet and you already think it is troublesome?" I asked. "Yeah it is. We will have to learn things that our fathers could have been teaching us. I asked my dad to teach me how to use chakra in a jutsu and he laughed and said wait until school starts. He is so troublesome."_

"_Is that right son, I am troublesome?" We both propelled into a sitting position and saw not just Mr. Nara, but also my father standing a few feet from us. "Well see, if you would have taught me how to sense chakra, I would have known you were standing there," Shikamaru said. Mr. Nara and my father laughed. _

"_Before I can teach you how to use chakra in a jutsu, you have to know what it is and how to use it in simpler ways first. You will learn all this in school next month." Both turned and walked farther into the backyard. They shifted into fighting stances and started to spar. "One day I will be able to spar with someone and win," I mostly said to myself. "Ha ha you are going to win, yeah right, you could spar your way out of a paper bag." Shikamaru laughed._

_To prove him wrong I moved into a stance similar to my fathers and waited for him to move too. "Oh no, I am not going to fight a girl. Fighting a girl will get me in trouble, which is troublesome." He turned to walk away. "If you are scared Shikamaru, just say so, I completely understand. If I were you, I would be scared to fight me too. He he chicken! " I said mockingly. He stopped walking and stood still for a second. When he turned around, I could see anger clouding his face._

_Shikamaru was mad. Really it was a rare thing to see him mad, getting mad was too troublesome. I was not scared of him. I wanted to fight and now he would fight me. He started to walk towards me and his hands were in fists. I leaned back and lunged at him knocking him down. We rolled around on the ground long enough for me to realize that I was also mad. He pinned me to the ground and it looked as if he had won._

_I started to scratch and hit him. His arm had scratches on it and his hair had fallen out of the ponytail. I was not in much better shape. I rolled one last time and ended up pinning him on the ground. "All I wanted to do was spar and you decided to fight me seriously. Now I have bruises, and cuts, and my clothes are a mess." The anger faded away as I yelled at him. Tears, which I could not seem to stop, welled up in my eyes. I hovered over him and both of us just stared at each other. In between the anger and tears, neither of us noticed our parents running towards us._

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><p>I could feel his breath hit may neck as I hovered over him. Although my eyes were stuck on Mrs. Nara in the doorway, I knew Shikamaru was staring at me. I could feel his eyes burning my face. I turned my head and stared at him. For the life of me, I could not remember what I was mad about. His eyes stared into mine and I could feel the blush spread across my face.<p>

Quickly, I jumped up moved to the doorway. Although I could feel Shikamarus' eyes still staring at me. As I entered the hallway, I saw Mrs. Nara shift her gaze from Shikamaru to me, then turn to walk toward the kitchen. "Wow I guess I will have to open a few windows in the house, both of you have a blush spread across you face. It must really be hot in here." I could almost hear her giggle during the last part of the sentence.

While awaiting Mrs. Nara's instructions I paced around the kitchen and tried to figure out what just happened. 'Okay Ino, let's just go through this slowly, one-step at a time, and try to figure out what the hell went wrong. First Shikamaru pissed me off, then I attacked him, then I yelled at him, then Mrs. Nara interrupted us. During that time, I felt a strong attraction to not only my teammate, but also my best friend, and the guy I have grown up with. I wanted to kiss Shikamaru. Ding, ding, ding we have an answer to the, what went wrong, question. What is the prize? I large plate of awkward, with a side of my life is over!'

'Okay, okay Ino breath, this is not that time to lose my mind. I just have to get through dinner tonight, then I won't have to see Shikamaru until Monday!' "Wow a whole two days" I said sarcastically and shuffled into the kitchen. "What is it that you needed help with Mrs. Nara?" My eyes were glued to the floor, on account that I was too scared to look her in the eyes.

"Well Ino, I was hoping that you could set the table for me. It turns out that your cousin is feeling much better and your mother can make it to dinner. A few minutes ago, I also received word that Shikaku and Inoichi are home from their mission and will also be attending dinner. So please set the table for six people. You know where the plates, cups, and chopsticks are right?" She asked. "Yes, I will get to that now." I replied.

After a little searching, I found the plates, cups, and chopsticks in the dining room. I actually did not know where they were, but I could not hold a conversation with her longer then I needed to. I set the table, knowing Mrs. Nara would sit Shikamaru and me together, and spaced all the plates far away from each other.

'Great not only do I have dinner with Shikamaru, but I also have to eat at the same table with my mom and dad and his parents. How am I going to pull this off?' My thoughts were broken off by the front door opening and voices traveling into the house. "Yoshiro I ran into Inoichi and Shikaku on my way here. How can I help with dinner?" My mom walked in the dining room and smiled at me.

"I don't need any help, but you have to hear what happened earlier, come on in the kitchen." 'That's it my life is over in 5…4…3…2…1…' "WHAT!" My mom yelled and raced out to whisper to my dad, who stared at me in shock. "Ino, would you go get Shikamaru and tell him dinner is ready." Someone asked, but I was too busy trying to find an escape route to find out who it was.

I stood in front of the door and after what felt like an eternity, finally knocked lightly, hoping he would not hear me, or possibly be asleep. I had no such luck. He opened the door and stared at me. "Dinner is ready and everyone is here. Our dads are home from the mission and my mother decided to show up." Happy that I had completed my task I turned to leave.

I felt his hand on my shoulder and all of a sudden, I was pulled into his room. He sat with me on the edge of the bed and with looked at me questioningly. "What is wrong Ino? You always have something to say, and now you can't even talk to me. Is it about earlier?"

I looked at him as if he were stupid. "Of course it is about earlier, your mom told my mom, who told my dad, who looked as if his world just blew up. By now, your dad knows and how am I going to make it through dinner with all of this. Our moms are going to sit at the table and giggle the entire time, your dad will probably make smart comments, that will embarrass me, and my dad has lost all faith in me. It is like I ruined his happy little vision of me and now I am a horrible daughter. We did not even do anything." I halfway yelled the last part, hoping they all heard me.

"Your right Ino, nothing happened. We have been best friends for a long time. I annoyed you, we ended up fighting, like always, and somehow things got weird and hormones took over. That's all it was, hormones. The same thing would happen to us, if it happened with two different people. After today, I will still annoy you, you will still get mad at me, and life will move on." Shikamaru said.

"Thanks Shikamaru that is what I needed. Let's go out there and set them straight." With that said, I marched out and sat down at the table. Dinner went exactly as I thought it would. Smart comments and giggles were heard throughout meal and my father stayed silent. I held my head high and made it through dinner without looking anyone in the eyes.

After dinner, I sat with Shikamaru in his room. "Well that was sufficiently awkward." He said, looking at the ceiling. "Wasn't it, I think I broke my father's heart." I said sadly. He quickly replied "Ino just give him a few days to deal with the fact that you are getting older. You know you have always been his baby. If he had his way you would still be walking down the streets holding his hand, so you do not slip and fall." I giggled at his comment.

I moved over to him and he sat up to look at me. "You and I both know that he will never be able to deal with the fact that I am growing up. But I am, and one of these days I will have a boyfriend and he will have to deal with that too." Shikamaru put his hand on his face and said, "I pity the guy that becomes your boyfriend." I glared at him and attempted to hit him lightly on the head. However, he grabbed my hand and glared back at me. Only to, once again, have our faces by inches apart.

At that time, my father opened that door and stared at us. I ripped my hand from Shikamarus' and moved back a good three feet, for good measure. He looked at Shikamaru as if he wanted to kill him and said through his teeth, "Ino, it is time to go home. Say goodbye to Shikamaru." I glanced at Shikamaru and said, "Bye Shika, see you Monday for training." My father flinched at the last part.

The weekend went bye relatively fast. I spent most of the time avoiding my father. I worked in the store, and stayed in my room. My mother even let me eat in my room, because she pitied the fact that my father was having a hard time getting over all of this.

By the time Monday came, I was grateful to get out of the house. When I met the rest of the team at the training grounds, it was as if nothing happened between Shikamaru and me. He did not ask about my father and I did not talk about him. We threw kunai, and worked on jutsu all day. Mr. Nara even showed up to give us some tips on how our fathers combine their jutsu and work together.

At the end of the day, Asuma-sensei told Chouji, Shikamaru, and I that we did a good job today. He also knew we were tired. Therefore, he gave us all advice "Go home and get some sleep, because tomorrow will be the same, if not worse." I struggled to get my legs to move, but finally started to run home. Somehow, I found the energy to take a quick shower, eat some rice, and drag myself to bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I fell fast asleep.

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><p><strong>Authors Note: How was the chapter? I believe this a may be a tad shorter that the second one, but only by like 200 words. If you liked it…Review Please! I know I updated that really close to the last chapter, but don't expect that with the next chapter. In a few days, I will be computerless and I will not be able to write at all. Until the next chapter… <strong>

**Blondegirl09 **


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: So I finally got my computer back! I want to thank *tealightbirdy99*, *****kngrulz*****, and *jojoba* for the reviews, I read them and I could not help but smile. Anyway, I wanted to write this chapter because it has been like a week or more since the last update. School is also starting back soon, so I want to update while I can. Here is Chapter 4!**

**P.S.- I don't own Naruto. If I did, you could just watch this in the anime or manga. Nevertheless, I am just writing this story. =)**

**And I am trying something new (Requesting reviews at the top of the page) Please Review! **

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><p><span>What a Life<span>

"_I am so going to win!" I yelled back to my best friend, wishing my legs would move faster. "You wish Ino." Sakura yelled in return and moved a few inches closer to me. We raced across the playground towards our goal._

'_Just a little further and I can beat her; if Sakura wins she gets to brag about it and I will never hear the end of it. Plus the loser gets the one that everyone hates. Run faster Ino, run faster!' _

_Time seemed to slow as I got closer to the end. I pushed my feet to take bigger steps and reached out in an attempt to succeed. I could feel my heart beating in my chest; I closed my eyes as I saw Sakura move slightly ahead of me. _

"_Whoa" and then the sound of something landing on the ground was all I heard before I touched the finish line. _

"_Darn it Ino, if I would not have tripped I would have won." She said as she pushed herself up and walked over the losers' podium. "I know Sakura, I thought you had it, but alas I win!" I said as I boosted myself up on the good swing and smiled._

_Sakura moved to the other swing and sat down looking defeated. She pushed herself backwards slowly and I laughed as I heard it. "Screeeeeech" the swing moved back and forth, giving out a horrid sound as it did._

"_Why doesn't someone fix this stupid swing anyway? I mean no one even wants to swing on it." Sakura said and I nodded in agreement. The swing had been like that for years and all the kids knew that it was a kill joy to be stuck on it._

_As I looked around I saw other kids playing in the playground. Kiba and his new dog Akamaru were playing fetch; Tenten and a bunch of kids from another class were playing dodge ball. Everyone hated to play on the opposite team as Tenten, because she was so good at hitting people._

_Neji and Hinata were walking towards the Hyuuga compound; although Neji still seemed to be fairly interested in the dodge ball game. Sasuke, being the super cute boy that he is, was sitting under a tree. He looked somewhat annoyed, due to the fact that Naruto was yelling how he could win something or another. _

_Even Shikamaru and Choji were here. Both were laying on the ground staring up and the sky and laughing about something. "Everyone seems to be here today Ino, with school starting up again tomorrow, I guess everyone wants to have one last day of fun." Sakura said to me as I turned to her and smiled._

"_I can't believe that school starts tomorrow, it seems like we just got out of school. Tomorrow it is back to writing and learning and sitting behind a desk while Iruka-sensei talks." I said_

"_There is a good side to all of this. Going back to class means we get new seats. With every new seat change, there is a closer chance to one of us sitting next to Sasuke." Sakura said and started to mess with the ribbon that held her bangs back._

"_You know Sakura; every girl in the village is in love with Sasuke. Do you every think that that could be a problem? I mean we are both competitive. Do you think that liking him could get in the way of our friendship?" Suddenly, after saying that, I got a sudden interest in my shoes._

"_No way Ino, you are my very best friend and we will always be friends," she paused is if to think. "We should make a promise; no boy will ever come in the middle of our friendship. No matter what happens we will always be best friends." _

_She held out her pinky and waited. I looked up at her and smiled and wrapped my pinky finger around hers. "I promise." We said at the same time._

"_What are you two doing? Aren't we all a little old for pinky promises or whatever, girls are so troublesome." I knew the voice without looking up. "Shikamaru, have you ever thought that you might be the troublesome one." I retorted back in an equally bored response._

_He stared at me with a blank expression and yawned. "Okay, well I have had enough fun for one day, come on Ino I have to walk you home." Without another word he started to walk away. "Oh yeah, see you tomorrow Choji." He yelled over his shoulder. _

"_See you Sakura, maybe if we get into school early tomorrow we can talk Iruka-sensei into letting us sit together." I smiled, and then ran after Shikamaru, who was already half way across the park._

"_Geez Shika you could have waited. I mean if I have to walk with you, you could at least wait till I can actually catch up." He ignored me and looked up toward the sky._

"_What is so interesting about looking at the clouds anyway?" I said hoping he would at least talk to me. He turned his head toward me and said in a very unenthusiastic voice "Because it does not take any energy to look at clouds." Then he turned his head back toward the sky._

'_It does not take any energy. The boy is studying to be a ninja, doesn't he think that takes energy. I don't understand him. I mean I have known the kid forever and I practically see him every day. Why is he so, so what's the word I am looking for?' My eyes darted to him and the only word I could think of was troublesome._

_I looked back ahead of my furious that I sounded like him. "Well Ino, here is you stop. See you tomorrow." He continued to walk away as I frowned at his back. Turning I went into the house and saw my mom cooking dinner. _

"_Hey mom, I'm home." My mom looked up and said "Good, did Shikamaru walk you home?" "Doesn't he always." Without waiting for a response I moved to the living room and found my dad reading the paper._

"_Hey dad" I went and sat down beside him. "How was the park Ino?" He put the paper down and looked at me. "It was fun; I got to the good swing first today." He smiled at me, "That's my girl, and Shikamaru walked you home right? I don't want you walking home alone." _

_I glared at him "Yes daddy, he walked me home, he always walks me home. I don't see the point of it. I am training to be a ninja. I can take care of myself. I am not a baby anymore you know." _

"_Ino you will always be my little girl. When you get married, when you have a baby of your own, even when that baby grows up, you will always be my little girl. You are the only daughter I have and I will be damned if I will let you get hurt." He took a few deep breaths before continuing._

"_If I were to stand up and attack you right now would you be able to stop me?" I frowned "No I would not. But that is different, you are my dad, you won't hurt me, you protect me."_

"_I know I protect you, but there are a lot of people stronger then I am, and some of them will not want to protect you." He wrapped me in a hug. My mom walked into the room and sat down beside us._

"_Ino your father is just trying to do what is best for you. Neither of us could bear to have you get hurt. It took a lot just for him to let you be a ninja." My dad stopped hugging me and held my mom's hand. _

"_I gave into letting you be a ninja, but let's get one thing straight. You are way too young to be dating boys, talking to boys, or even thinking about boys. Do you hear me?" _

_I gave him a confused look. "Dad we weren't even talking about me dating boys or talking to boys." "I know that, but while we are all here I figured I would cover the bases now." My mom laughed and removed her hand from his._

"_You know Inoichi, when we were Inos' age, we met each other. As I recall about the time we you graduated from a genin you already had kissed me." _

_My dads' face got really red and he all but yelled "There will be no kissing by anyone in this house!"_

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><p>"I don't see what the problem is. I went to the movies and had a great time. Why did you have to do that?" I yelled as I stomped past my mom into the living room with my dad following close behind.<p>

"I told you years ago that there would be no boys, no dating, and especially no kissing in this house. He was a boy, whom I have never met before, you went on a date, and if I had not walked out when I had, he would have kissed you."

"Well dad, maybe I wanted him to kiss me. I am a genin, I have been on lots of missions where I could have been killed, and I have never had my first kiss. I don't want to die and not have my first kiss."

'Time to make him feel bad for embarrassing me.' "I could die tomorrow, and I would never have my first kiss. He was leaning in to kiss me and you embarrassed me so bad." I said as tears ran down my face.

"Whoa, calm down you two." My mom said as she walked in the room. What is going on?"

"Dear, I was just protecting Ino. This idiot was" "Houki was really nice." I interrupted him "He paid to go to the movies, and he talked to me and asked if I wanted to go out again sometime. Mom, dad is so embarrassing, Houki was just going to kiss me. As he was leaning in, dad pushed me back and stood in front of me. Then he crossed his arms and told him to get lost. Dad even told him that if he ever saw him again he would use him a target for kunai practice."

My moms' jaw dropped as she stared at my dad. With tears still running down my face, I added "Houki will never talk to me again because of him." I pointed a finger at dad and ran to my room, slamming the door as I went.

About an hour after crying and pouting in my room, I decided to walk back out to the living room. "Good Ino, we need to talk to you please sit down." My mom said. I walked to a chair and sat, but not before giving me dad a glare that I hoped would make him know that I was not happy with him.

"Ino you are growing into a beautiful young woman. Boys have noticed you for a few years, but now they are getting up the courage to ask you out. Your father is extremely uncomfortable with this. But I have explained to him that he cannot embarrass you like that." My mom said.

"You father agreed to let you go out on dates; however unhappy it makes him." My father looked me straight in the eyes and said "Before you go in another date, we need to talk to you. You are not going to like this, and even after this you are not to let any boy touch you."

Suddenly the blood drained from my face. 'They are not actually going to talk about _that_ are they? Please no, please no!'

My mom cleared her throat and started talking. "Ino, when two people love each other" I felt my face heat up and threw my hands up to stop her from talking. "Mom, oh my gosh, please tell me you two are not going to give me _the talk_. You don't have to; I learned everything I will ever need to know in school. I went on one date and did not even kiss the guy, this is completely un-called for."

Half an hour later, after being scared for life, my parents finally finished talking to me about sex. As if on cue, Mr. Nara walked in along with his wife and Shikamaru.

"Well Yoshiro, you just missed it. Inoichi and I just gave Ino the talk. Shikamaru look at you, you look so nice in your flak jacket." My mom said, as if _the talk_ was the most normal thing in the world. "Mom!" I screeched. 'I cannot believe she just said that out loud.' I stood up and started out the door. "I am going to Sakuras' house." I called over my shoulder.

After the Chunin exams, Sakura and I became friends again. Although we were still rivals, it was nice to have her to talk to.

'Walk faster, faster!' "Ino dear, Shikamaru is going to walk with you, it is dark outside." My mom yelled as I moved out the door. 'Damn it!' I focused on the ground when I heard footsteps beside me.

"Did you have a nice conversation with your parents?" My head shot up and I glared at him. He just smirked and looked at me. I pushed him away and stood in the middle of the street.

"You think this is funny? First the whole incident happened at your house, after a while we all got over that. Today, I go on a date and I am finally going to get a kiss and my dad embarrasses me and the guy is never going to talk to me again. Plus, there is the fact that I cannot be upset over Sasuke leaving. He left Sakura on a bench and I cannot even say his name, due to the fact that it makes Sakura cry. To make matters worse, my parents just explained the wonders of sex to me. Then, my dad told me that if I ever let a guy touch me and he finds out he will castrate him. This is not funny Shikamaru, so stop smirking, stop laughing, and stop looking at me like I'm crazy." I turned on me heel and started walking in some random direction.

'Sakura can wait, I need to calm down and I need to get away from Shikamaru.' I walked faster trying to stay away from him. Of course, he kept following me, and he would continue to walk with me until I saw Sakura.

I walked until I got to the park. 'It has been a while since I was here.' I stopped walking when I got to the swing. When I sat on the swing I heard the "Screech" and knew Shikamaru was sitting on the other one. We sat there swinging for a few minutes, in silence, unless you count the screeching from the bad swing. It almost made me want to laugh.

"Does it bother you that much? Everyone has _the talk_ with their parents. It is uncomfortable and awkward." He said. I jumped off the swing and stood up. "But when your parents had _the talk_ with you, you best friend and team mate, who is also someone of the opposite gender did not walk in the room."

I refused to look in his direction; eye contact would just make everything worse. "Ino, you are so troublesome, I don't know why I put up with you." Before I knew what was happening he was standing in front of me. His arms wrapped around me and pulled me close to him.

Neither of us said anything. He kept hugging me and strangely it made me feel better. I moved my hands to his chest and lightly pushed him away. "Thank you Shika." I said it and it was barely over a whisper, but he heard it. "You`re welcome Ino."

I looked up and smiled. "Okay, I have wasted enough time, let`s go to Sakuras` house so you can go home." I did not notice before but the streets were quiet. Most of the shops were closed my now, no children were running around. The only sound was the sound of our shoes scuffing the ground.

I stopped at Sakuras` front door and knocked. "Ino" I turned expecting Shikamaru to have gone. "If that guy isn't going to talk to you again because of something as stupid as being scared of you dad, he is not worth your time, not worth you being upset over, and defiantly not worth your first kiss."

I looked at him in amazement. 'He actually listened to my ranting, I though he just ignored me when I got upset with him.'

"I will see you Monday morning for training." Then he walked away. The door opened behind me and Sakura said "Well Ino-pig are you going to come in or are you just going to stare into space for the next hour?" I turned and walked inside once again, like all those years ago, trying to calm the butterflies that were flying around my stomach.

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><p><strong>Authors Note: Okay so this is my longest chapter yet! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I have another idea whirling in my head for the next chapter, so expect it in a day or two. As always I am going to beg anyone who is reading this to review, because not only are reviews a ray of sunshine, they also give my life purpose! (Okay a little dramatic, but hey if it gets people to review… =) Until the next chapter…<strong>

**Blondegirl09**


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note: So I was excited to write the last chapter. However, I am really excited to write this chapter. I even started it about hour after I finished the last one. In this chapter the _italic or past_ part it in the POV of Inoichi, Inos' dad. When the chapter switches to the 'present' the POV will be back to Ino.**

**P.S.- I don't own Naruto. If I did, you could just watch this in the anime or manga. Nevertheless, I am just writing this story. =)**

**BTW: This chapter is about 100 words longer then the last. The longest chapter yet!**

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><p><span>What a Life<span>

_When I was growing up my goals differed with age. As a child I wanted to grow up and be just like my father. As a teenager, I wanted to be the best ninja in the village. Now as an adult I want to be able to do my job and have a family._

_Although, my goals have changed, one thing has stayed the same. The constant in my life is the desire to be with the one woman I love. As a child I tried to outdo her and as I teenager I wanted nothing more than to impress her. _

_Now that I am married to her, my life could not get any better. At least that is what I though eight months ago, before she came home with the news. I walked into the hospital, today, knowing I would have a son; a son to train and brag about. He would be the best ninja in the village. _

_I hold in my arms a beautiful baby girl. I keep thinking 'If I move she might break.' Yet I cannot find one ounce of regret within me. With a son, I would have trained and molded into a strong, handsome man. Now with my daughter, I will protect and comfort. I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. _

_We chose the name Ino. It is a not only a family tradition, but also completes the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. If this wonderful bundle of joy chooses to pursue the life of a ninja, the trio will live on; although, I do not want to think about that quite yet._

_(Two years later)_

_Slowly I walked to the Naras' house. My mind was in several different places at once; although this was no jutsu. Scenes replayed in my head of Ino at her first birthday party, Ino in the hospital after she was born, and Ino taking her first steps._

_I opened the door and removed my shoes. I turned the corner just in time to see the angel that had taken over my thoughts. She was fast asleep in her mother's arms. I smiled and went to sit down._

"_I think I am going to take Ino into Shikamarus' room, that way both of them can sleep and we can still talk." My wife said and quietly stood up and moved away, towards the young Naras' room._

'_How has time flown by so fast. It seems like just yesterday I was holding Ino in my arms for the first time, now she is two years old.' "Hello, Inoichi, are you in there?" My best friend and team mate Shikaku said as he waved his hand in front of my face._

_I laughed and replied "Sorry, I was just wondering where the time went." Yoshiro, Shikakus' wife smiled "Ino has grown up so much. I see her almost every day; I still can believe she is two. She really does look like you Inoichi. She has the same hair and the same eyes. She will be a knockout when she is older." I shuttered at the thought of Ino attracting a guy's attention. _

_My wife walked into the room after putting Ino down for her nap. "Both Shikamaru and Ino are sleeping soundly. They are just so adorable. But before I start to ramble, let's talk about why we are here." _

_My stomach flipped and I started to second guess our decision. "Both clans, the Nara and the Yamanaka, have agreed to this. I just keep wondering if this is the right thing to do."_

_My wife put her hand on mine and Yoshiro started to talk. "Inoichi, the Ino-Shika-Cho is renowned across all of the nations. This decision will guarantee that the trio stays that way." She paused to give time for other input._

"_If we sign these papers, when the time comes, there will be no decisions. The hokage has agreed. He has seen Ino and Shikamaru. He says that even at the young age of two they work well together. If Ino falls, Shikamaru is there with her."_

_In my head this all made sense, but I could not get my hand to sign the paper. "All of you know if either of them wants to be with someone else, if either of them thinks they could work better with someone else, and we sign this, there is nothing that we will be able to do. We will have to tell them of this agreement and odd are they will hate us."_

"_Inoichi, we know the risks, but think of the future of the village. They are best friends now; they will be best friends when the time comes. It is now our job to make sure they stay that way." _

_I quickly signed the paper, knowing the right choice in all of this. Shikaku passed out the sake. "To us, because from here on out, we will need all the help we can get."_

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><p>"Ino duck!" I heard Shikamaru yell. I moved my body lower, just in time to narrowly miss a kunai. I jumped back and got into position.<p>

Shikamarus' shadow moved silently towards our opponent. When he tried to jump away Choji used his partial multi-sized technique to hold him in place. Once the opponent was held down I released me mind, literally. It was all over.

I opened my eyes and blinked at the light. The sun was setting. The sky erupted colors from orange, pink, and blue. "Need help?" Shikamaru stood over be slightly bent, offering his hand. I reached up and was pulled up from the ground.

"Unbelievable, I have been doing that technique for years and I am still disoriented after it. I know my minds is leaving my body and going into someone else's, but really it is just so frustrating." I said with more of an attitude then I wanted.

Choji put his hand on my shoulder, his bag of chips already open. "Don't worry Ino, you will get it." He said smiling then added, "Oh and thanks Kakashi-sensei, we needed someone to practice with.

Kakashi grumbled about something then took out his book and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Okay, well I have to meet my dad for some more practice. I will see you guys later." Choji said and walked towards his house.

"Ino your face is bleeding." Shikamaru pointed out. Immediately I pushed healing chakra into my hand and healed my face. "Why didn't anyone else tell me that?" I said more to myself then to Shikamaru.

"Want to go get some ramen? By this time, we missed the weekly dinner at my house." "Sure Shika, but since I am still light headed and such, you can pay!" I hooked my arm in his and started towards Ichirakus'.

I ate one bowl of ramen and decided that was enough. "I know that I complain about paying for the ramen, but really it is no problem, feel free to actually eat something." Shikamaru looked at me and frowned.

"I ate a bowl of ramen, if I eat too much" Shikamaru put money on the table and walked away, not letting me finish my sentence. "Hey!" I ran after him and yelled. "Stop being so rude, you could at least listen to me when I talk to you."

He stopped in the middle of the road and turned to me. "Ino I listen to you all of the time. I hear about how you painted your nails this shade instead of that shade."

"I listen to how you almost bought the cutest pair of shoes, but didn't."

"I even listen to you when you talk about how great you date with, whatever his name was, went three days ago, and how he has never called you back. But I will not hear another word about your stupid diets." By this time he was shouting and people were staring at us.

"Shikamaru calm down, if you don't want to hear about my diets, I won't tell you about them anymore." I said trying to get him to stop yelling. Just as when we were children, it is rare for him to lose his temper. "No Ino, how about you just quit the dieting."

He grabbed my shoulders. "Ask anyone in the village if you need to diet, they will say no." I ripped myself away from him and ran as fast as I could.

'My parents tell me the same thing and I never get mad, I just brush it off. Why is it, when Shikamaru says it, it sounds so much worse.'

I ended up at the cemetery. Slowly I walked towards the grave. 'I cannot believe you are gone Asuma-sensei, it still does not seem real.' I stopped walking when I noticed a woman at his grave. She turned and smiled.

"Hello Ino, long time no see." She had her baby girl with her. "I was just leaving." She walked towards me and stopped before she passed. "Asuma would be so proud you and Shikamaru and Choji."

I grinned as tears threatened to spill over. "Thank you Kurenai-sensei." She moved towards the exit of the cemetery.

I sat in front of the grave and started talking to Asuma-sensei, knowing he would not answer me back.

When I heard footsteps behind me the sun had all but set. "I sat back there and watched you. I could not hear you, but I knew you were talking. Ino you know that he can't talk back." Shikamaru said as he lit a cigarette and set it on the grave.

"I know that, I can talk to someone without them telling me something I don't want to hear." I stopped to look at his name inscribed on the stone.

I continued, "But if he could talk to me, if he were still here, he would have said the exact same thing you said. I think that is why it upset me so much.

I stood up and hugged Shikamaru, I was no longer mad at him. "Come on Ino, my mom said that our parents have something to tell us. We should get back to my house." I released him and we started to walk.

We walked into his house and I immediately knew that this was serious. All four adults were sitting in the living room and stopped talking when we entered the house.

My mom started, "Ino, Shikamaru would you sit down please. This will be easier to tell you if I know that one of you will not jump and attack." She turned to look at my father, who was glaring at the scroll on the table in front of them.

Mr. Nara took over talking, since it was obvious my mother was not going to continue. "Fourteen years ago, that scroll was signed." He gestured toward the scroll my father was staring at.

"You two have always worked well together, we could all see that starting from a very young age. Ino, you are protective of Shikamaru, you always have been. Shikamaru, you are just as if not more protective of Ino. It's funny because neither of you even know it." He looked at Mrs. Nara as she started to talk.

"We did this with both of your best interests in mind. Today, this is rare to happen. Even in our time it was rare to happen. However, given the circumstances, it is an option that we had to take."

My father looked me straight in the eyes, "Damn it, stop sugar coating this for them. Fourteen years ago we all signed this scroll. This means that neither of you have a choice in the matter. It is what is best for both you two and the village."

He took a deep breath, "In two years' time you two are to be married. Consider this time your engagement."

My father kept talking, but that was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.

"Ino! Ino sweetie wake up!" My mom said frantically. When I eyes opened my mom was hovering over me. "Oh good it was all just a dream." I said.

"No it was not a dream, troublesome girl." Shikamaru, who was sitting beside me, said. "Our parents actually set up for an arranged marriage. Who the hell has arranged marriages anymore?" He raised his voice and stared to the floor.

I shot up, into a sitting position, almost hitting my mother in the process. "Wait it was all for real. You waited all these years to tell me that I am marrying him." I pointed toward Shikamaru.

"What if I had met another guy, what if I fell in love with another guy? What would you guys have done then?" I said. My mind was still trying to grasp the fact that I was going to marry Shika. He was my best friend and a team mate.

"If there was another guy involved, you would have been ordered to stop seeing him today, when we told you about the arrangement." My father said sternly.

I jumped up and yelled, venom practically seeped out of the words. "Damn it, you cannot order me to do anything! I hate all of you!" I blindly ran out the door and I had absolutely no idea of where to go. All I knew was I needed to get away from them.

(Sometime later)

"You know your parents are pissed that you ran away. I mean they expected it, but they are still pissed."

I ignored his voice. Currently, I was lying in the grass and flowers counting the stars in the sky.

"I know you hate me, but don't ignore me Ino." He said as he lay beside me. "I don't hate you Shikamaru; I hate all of them for doing this."

I turned my head to look at him. I expected him to be staring to the sky, but he was staring directly at me.

"Do you hate them for setting up an arranged marriage in the first place or hate them setting up and arranged marriage for you and me?" I sat up avoiding his eyes.

"That's not fair Shika. I don't want to be in an arranged marriage, no matter who it is with. I want to be able to marry someone that loves me. You are my best friend and my team mate. Didn't they see that this could also hurt the team?" I heard Shikamaru shift to sit up with me.

"If we are constantly arguing now, what will happen when we get married? It can't be good for team work if two people are stuck being mad at each other and living under the same roof." I took a deep breath.

"Can I say something Ino?" Shikamaru said then paused, waiting for a response. "Okay." I returned, not entirely sure of what he was going to say.

"Ino you want a guy that loves you. I have loved you for years." My head whipped around. "But I have loved you the same way you love me, as a best friend." He held eye contact.

"We have grown up together and I don't think anyone knows you better than me, and vice versa. We can practically read each other's thoughts." He paused, "Well, without a jutsu that is."

"If we get married like we are now, it will be awkward and neither of us will be happy." I frowned and looked at the ground. "So what do we do about it?"

"We change it." With the one sentence, my stomach rolled and butterflies moved about it.

"When the incident happened at my house, I blamed it on being a teenager and hormones. But I left out one thing, chemistry."

"It happens all of the time. When you kissed me on the cheek, a few years ago, under the mistletoe it was there. During the incident in my room, it was there. It has been there with every hug we have given each other for the last few years."

"The butterflies fly around your stomach, your face get really hot because of the blushing, the immediate denial, and then saying to yourself 'this is my best friend'."

"I can't believe you remembered the kiss under the mistletoe." I said astonishingly.

"I remember it just as well as you do." He half laughed. "Ino I want to try something. I need you to be okay with it though. I think, if we do this and it works, this whole ordeal will be a lot easier for us."

I shyly look up at him, "What do you want to try?" I said, not knowing what it was. When he answered, it took me by complete surprise. "I would like to kiss you."

My minds shut off then rebooted its self. 'Did he just say wanted to kiss me? How will that solve anything? It will be completely awkward. No, no, I have to say no to it.'

"Okay, if you think that it will help. But I don't see how it will." 'Stupid Ino, you were supposed to say no!'

He took my hand and stood up, pulling me up with him. There we were standing in the middle of a field of flowers with the moon and stars shining down on us. It was perfect, just like a scene from any good movie. But all I could think was 'How am I going to get through this?'

He leaned closer to me lay his forehead on mine. "Are you sure this is okay Ino, if I know you, and I do, this will be you first kiss."

Once again my brain stopped. 'He is right; this is going to be my first kiss! How do you kiss someone? No, how do you kiss your best friend, who you are being forced to marry? Someone needs to come out with a book for this stuff.'

"Yeah it is okay. This is going to be my first kiss, so I don't know how to" I was stopped by his lips pressing against mine.

I always thought my first kiss would be simple. I would not have anything to analyze. But, boy was I wrong. All possibility of simple was erased when the fireworks started exploding in my head.

Shikamaru moved back, but kept his forehead on mine. I could not stop the blush that spread across my face. I started to panic, he was not saying anything.

'Am I a bad kisser? Why isn't he talking? What do I' my thoughts were cut off by him saying "Wow" and once again pressing his lips to mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Author Note: I thought I was excited about writing the last chapter, but I smiled a whole lot more while writing this one. I am a sap for the movies with great kisses in them (Love the Notebook). I wanted to try for a great first kiss for Ino. I am hoping that it came out as well as it did in my head. If anyone is reading the story and liked the kiss as much as I did… please tell me (meaning put it in a review)! Until next chapter…<strong>

**Blondegirl09**


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors Note: So here is the next chapter. I wanted to update sooner than this, but I could not seem to get the words out of my head and onto the computer. Once I finally started typing it took a little longer than expected to actually write it. I rushed the last chapter a bit, because I was so excited about getting to the kiss (damn my hopeless romantic heart…). I tried to slow up during this chapter though; hopefully, it worked. Thanks to *****TheMissMalave*****, *****RosieWinterMoon*****, and *****kngrulz*****for** **the reviews! And once again, **_**italic is past **_**and regular is present.**

**P.S.- I don't own Naruto. If I did, you could just watch this in the anime or manga. Nevertheless, I am just writing this story. =)**

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><p><span>What a Life<span>

_The night air was warm and comfortable. The light from the full moon lit the empty streets. Fireflies drifted through the trees at the park, along with the quiet chirping of the crickets. Paper lanterns, still hung in doorways from the summer festival, swayed lightly from the soft breeze. _

_Most shops had closed for the evening, but the flower shop was still open. My mom sat at the counter arranging a new bouquet of flowers for an upcoming wedding._

_Outside was seemingly perfect; although, my living room was an entirely different story._

_My dad and I sat on the floor, while various weapons covered the rest of the available space the room have to offer._

"_Shuriken?" "Check." "Kunai?" "Check." "Scrolls?" "Check." "Explosive tags?" "Check." "You know Ino, you do not have to do this. We can tell Asuma that you are sick. Really it is no trouble; I'll just go now and tell him." My dad started to get up from his seated position on the floor._

"_Wait!" I said impatiently stopping him from standing. "If you tell him that, the entire team won't be able to go on the mission. That is not fair to them. Besides, I'm not even sick. You are the one that keeps making up excuses for me not to go." _

_My dad's head fell in his hands, in a fake and useless attempt for me to pity him. I continued, "I'm not even scared to go on this mission, Asuma-sensei said it would be easy, and we will only be gone for a day." _

'_Okay so I'm a little scared, but it is my first mission, who wouldn't be?' I tried to reassure myself._

_My mom strolled into the room, put her hands on her hips, and glared at us. 'Oh no, this cannot be a good sign.'_

"_Inoichi Yamanaka, I though you said you would do this quickly. How long does it take to put this stuff in her bag?" My dad interrupted, "But sweetheart, I wanted to make sure Ino had everything she would need." _

_My mom's eyes rolled before she spoke again, "Inoichi, you have already unpacked her bag three times, and you even packed her bag the first time." She stopped to run a hand through her hair. "And don't try and look so innocent, I heard you up here, "Why don't I go tell Asuma you are sick", I cannot believe you!" _

_I threw my hand over my mouth, trying to stop a giggle from escaping. Suddenly my mom's gaze snapped over to me. "Ino Yamanaka, what are you laughing at?" I smiled sweetly, "Nothing mother."_

_She continued to stare at me. "Have you had your shower? I told you to get a shower two hours ago." "Yes." Her head tilted to the side a bit, "Then tell me, why aren't you in bed? You have to get up early tomorrow."_

_I opened my mouth to explain that I was helping pack, but the look in my mom's face stopped the words from coming. Silently, I stood up and jumped over the various weapons on the floor. _

"_Good night mom, good night dad. See you in the morning." I said as a moved down the hallway towards my room. _

_My dad's voice stopped me as I reached my bedroom door, "Ino wait, we still need to pack" only to be cut off by my mom saying, "Oh Inoichi stop it. You will pack up the bag, because no one will ever get it right for you. After that, you will get your butt down stairs to the shop. I still need help with the wedding bouquets. The wedding is in two days." _

_I heard the stairs start to creak, indicating my mom went back to the shop. Quickly, I rushed back down the hallway. I eased into the living room and maneuvered my feet over the weapons. I bent down and kissed my dad on the cheek._

"_Good night dad, sorry I cannot finish helping you pack my bag again." I whispered. He pulled me in for a hug and smiled, "Good night Ino, it is okay, you helped me pack the last three times." I laughed and stood back up. _

"_Do I hear talking up there? Ino Yamanaka, if I have to come up there I will not be a happy person." My mom's voice threatened from the stairs. I jumped back to the hallway and ran to my room, silently opening and closing the door behind me._

_Moving over to my bed I slid under the covers and reached to switch off the light. I lay in the darkness waiting for my eyes to adjust. 'I hope everything goes okay on the mission. I mean don't get me wrong I trust Asuma-sensei and Choji and Shikamaru with my life, but there are so many things that could happen.' _

_A 'clink' sound broke my thoughts and I looked towards my window. I shoved the covers off of me and pushed myself out of bed. I tiptoed over to the window and looked, but nothing was there. 'Wow I am more tired then I though, I am hearing things.' I shrugged my shoulders and turned my back; only to have another 'clink' sound at the window. _

_I spun back around and unlocked the window. This time I pushed the frame up and stuck my head out. After my eyes adjusted to the dark, I realized a person was standing on the ground below my window. When said person bent down I moved back and crossed my arms._

_Seconds later Shikamaru appeared in the open window and stepped into my room. "Ino let me stay here tonight." He said almost pleadingly. I looked at him questioningly and started to ask why._

"_Please don't ask why. It is my parents' anniversary and they came home from dinner a little while ago. They are all happy and kissy and I really don't want to stay there tonight. Choji is staying with his aunt, because both of his parents are out of the house. I have nowhere else to go, please." _

_I rolled my eyes and turned on my heel. I bent down and pulled out the extra mattress from under my bed. I straightened back up and looked over my shoulder. "Well Shikamaru, don't just stand there and do nothing. Get the extra blanket and pillow from my closet." _

_As he did that, I drug the mattress to the center of the room and closed the window again. _

"_You know Shikamaru, you could have just used the front door like a normal person" I said as a shuffled around the mattress, towards my bed. When I fell onto my bed, I didn't even have enough energy to pull up the blanket. _

"_Troublesome girl, if I used the front door, your parents would see me and tell my parents I was here. Then, my parents would know that I was uncomfortable with them being all romantic and whatnot. If they knew that, they would be like that all of the time, just to annoy me."_

_I tried to follow what he was saying, but after listening to him talk, my eyes started getting heavier and heavier. I could feel sleep start to take over._

"_Ino, did you hear me?" Shikamaru said, but I didn't reply. _

_I heard footsteps coming towards my bed, "Hmm troublesome girl, you can't even stay awake to hear my answer to your question." I felt the blankets move from my feet and a cocoon of warmth wrap around me before, finally, completely drifting to sleep._

* * *

><p>"<em>Ino, Ino wake up! It is okay, calm down." My eyes shot open and I gulped in air, trying to calm myself down.<em>

_My parents stood over me; both of their faces were laced with concern. "We were in the kitchen getting ready for breakfast, when we heard you start screaming." My mom said._

_I sat up and looked around the room. The spare mattress was put away and Shikamaru was nowhere to be found. My eyes drifted to the window, the sun was barely peaking over the horizon._

_Without thinking, I blurted out "Where is Shikamaru?" Only catching myself after I said his name._

"_Did you hear him come in? He got here a few minutes ago. He is going to eat breakfast with us." My mom said with a smile, worry still evident on her face. "Let me go tell him you are awake." _

_My mom turned to leave the room, pulling my dad along with her._

_I ran my hands over my face and through my hair. 'When did my skin start to feel so clammy?' I thought as I placed my hands in my lap and stared at them. A cold chill ran down my spine as I tried to think about the scene that had taken over my dreams._

"_You okay Ino?" I looked up to see Shikamaru move from my doorway and sit on the bed with me. "Want to talk about it?"_

'_Talking about it is the last thing I want to do.' "I don't really remember the dream." I lied and avoided eye contact with him._

"_If you don't want to talk, that is fine, but don't treat me like I am stupid Ino. I have known you way too long to believe you don't remember whatever your dream was." He said as he pushed himself off of the bed. "Breakfast is ready when you are." He said as he walked out._

_About an hour later breakfast was over and both Shikamaru and I were trying our best to get out of the house._

"_Ino, this is your last chance, if you don't want to go, just say so." My dad pleaded for the hundredth time this morning. As I shook my head he looked at Shikamaru. "Shikamaru, if she is so hell bent on going, than you take care of her. Don't let her get hurt." _

_My mom wrapped her hand in my dad's and smiled. "You two better leave, if you don't go now you will be late. Please both of you be careful and listen to Asuma."_

_Shikamaru and I turned and walked out of the door._

"_I thought we would never get out of there, your parents, no my mistake your father is crazy!" Shikamaru said. I laughed in reply._

_Our shoes scuffed up dirt as we walked down the road, towards the main gate. I looked up at the sky. The sun had drifted over the horizon and the sky was filled with purples and pinks and yellows._

"_Did you say goodbye to your parents?" I questioned, still staring at the sky. _

_I saw him shutter out of the corner of my eye. "Yeah, when I left your house earlier I just made it back into my room before my mom knocked on the door."_

_We continued to walk down the road in silence. As we passed the school, a few teachers smiled and waved to us. All of them had been in our shoes before. _

_I tried to keep the worrying out of my thoughts when I saw Asuma-sensei standing by the front gate. Choji, who was nibbling on a cookie, still looked half asleep._

"_So are you guys ready to go? This will be a fairly simple mission. All we have to do is take this scroll," he paused to take the scroll out of his pocket, "to the border of the Fire Country. We will camp out near the border and then start back towards the village tomorrow morning." Asuma-sensei said. He looked enthusiastic and didn't have a trace of fear anywhere on his face._

_When no one said anything he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Putting it to his lips he inhaled deeply and then blew a stream of smoke into the air. "Now I know that none of you are worried about this mission, but just in case, I want all of you to know that I'll be right there with you. I've got your backs, just like I know that all of you have mine."_

_He looked at us and let out a bellowing laugh while walking out of the gates. Shikamaru and Choji followed behind him. I stood alone and stared at the ground on the other side of the gate, 'Once I step out there, there is no turning back. I'll officially be a ninja, and I'll have to put my life in danger every day. But I refuse to let this scare me. Here I go!' _

_With that I stepped out of the village and ran to catch up with the team._

_Hours later as we neared the border of fire country, exhaustion started to take its toll. The mission had been uneventful to say the least. We saw some birds flying overhead and a few animals scurrying about the forest, but not one enemy had shown up. To tell you the truth it was actually kind of boring._

"_Asuma-sensei are we almost there, I feel like I haven't eaten in days!" Choji said as we jumped through the trees. "Choji we stopped two hours ago and you ate chips." I said in an irritated tone._

"_Ino, don't be irritated with him, it has been a long day. The border is coming up; once we turn the scroll over the guard we can start back and look for a good place to set up camp._

_Choji cheered and Shikamaru signed in relief. 'I cannot wait to stop and eat dinner. Wow I never thought I would say that.'_

_We stopped a few feet from the border and a man in, what appeared to be, normal ninja attire walked up to us. _

"_Asuma it is good to see you." He said with a smile. "This must be your team of genin; I take it you all have the scroll the hokage was supposed to send."_

"_It's good to see you Tsuzumi, here is the scroll." Asuma-sensei handed him the scroll and turned to us. "Well that's it; all we have to do is get home." He waved goodbye to the guard and we started back into the forest._

_I jumped through the trees looking for a clear spot on the forest floor. Once we found said spot, we could set up camp, build a fire, and start to cook dinner._

"_How about setting up camp there sensei," Shikamaru said and pointed to a small clearing of trees. _

_Asuma-sensei jumped down and looked around the site, "This spot looks good, great job Shikamaru."_

_Shikamaru, Choji, and I jumped from the trees and landed on the grassy surface. "Okay Ino and Shikamaru, you two start setting up the tent. Everything is in my bag here." He slipped the bag off of his shoulders and it landed on the ground with a 'thud'._

"_Choji and I will go collect some fire wood, to start the fire." His eyes drifted toward the cloud covered, "It looks like we are going to have to hurry if we want dinner. If we wait too long the rain will destroy and chance of building a fire."_

_Chojis' eyes widened and he raced into the trees. Asuma-sensei laughed and followed at a slower pace._

"_Okay Ino, you can handle putting the tent up and all of that right, I think I'll lay over here and take a short nap." Shikamaru said in what sounded like a completely serious tone. _

_I shot him a look that stopped him in his tracks. He muttered something that sounded like 'troublesome' and moved to the bag Asuma-sensei had set down. _

_Shikamaru pulled out the material for the tent and started to set it up. I collected the four sleeping bags and laid them on the ground near the unconstructed tent. Then I picked up the material and helped Shikamaru form it into a shelter. _

_After the assembly was finished I picked up two sleeping bags and crawled through the opening of the tent._

_I unrolled two sleeping bags and placed them on the ground. Shikamaru rolled the other two sleeping bags into the tent and I repeated the process._

_When I crawled back outside, I noticed that Asuma-sensei and Choji had returned and were building a fire. "Everyone stand back." Sensei instructed as he formed a few hand signs and fire shot from him to the pile of logs on the ground._

_I got a few packages of ramen out of a bag and gave one to each person. Each package was laid near the fire and soon heated up enough to eat._

_Dinner was almost entire silent, unless you count the slurping of noodles and crackling of the firewood noise. As I finished my noodles I drop of water hit my nose. My eyes shifted towards the sky as another drop hit my forehead. _

"_Ah you guys, I think it is starting to," I said before a blanket of rain fell from the sky. "Are you serious?" I yelled, mostly to the sky. A hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me into the tent. _

"_Ino, the sky is not going to talk back to you and it is not going to stop raining because you yell at it." Asuma-sensei said, trying to keep a straight face. "Well I hope everyone it tired, because the only thing to do now is sleep." Sensei said. I looked over to see Choji laid out on a sleeping bag already passed out._

_Asuma-sensei moved to the sleeping bag between Choji and the wall of the tent. Shikamaru started to move toward the sleeping bag on the other side, near the opposite wall if the tent. _

'_Oh no I am not sleeping between them, with Chojis' snoring I won't get any sleep tonight.' Quickly I jumped on the sleeping bag near the wall and glared at Shikamaru. "Shika he is your best friend, you sleep next to him." With that said I unzipped the zipper of the sleeping bag and scooted into the makeshift bed. _

_I lay on the ground looking up at the roof of the shelter. The sound of rain usually helped me get to sleep, but this much rain was ridiculous! I closed my eyes and finally drifted to sleep._

_A 'crack' pushed me back into __consciousness. Rain continues to fall from the sky and I decided it was lightning that woke me up. As I was lying there listening to the rain, I felt another presence. 'That's weird, I don't know that chakra. Maybe it is a guard nearby."_

_I slid myself out of my sleeping bag and sat up looking over at the others. "No one else seems to feel it, it can't be dangerous then. I guess I'll tell the guard that we are here going home from the mission.'_

_I moved silently through the tent, careful not to step on anyone, and out into the rain. _

_The fire had been extinguished by the rain and the moon and stars were covered by the clouds above. It was really dark outside. I reached back into the tent and retrieved the flashlight from my pack._

_Slowly I turned on the light and moved toward the chakra. I was soaked to the bone and shivering from the chilled rain._

_I moved toward the presence, but no one was in sight. "Hello, is someone there? Sorry to bother you, we just set up camp over there." I said the darkness, but there was no reply. A chill ran over already cold skin. 'Maybe this was not such a good idea.' I backed up only to run into another body._

"_Oh good Asuma-sensei, I was starting to get scared." I said as I turned. When I shined the light on the other body, I found it was not Asuma-sensei, but a man with dark eyes that were staring back into mine._

_I scream ripped from my throat as grabbed my arm and threw me backwards. I fell to the ground and the flashlight flew from my hand and hit a tree, breaking in the process._

_My senses went into over drive. I heard footsteps coming towards me so I threw my hands on the wet ground and pushed myself backwards. __A hand wrapped around my leg and started to pull me towards, what I presumed was a body._

_A small 'thud' sounded and was followed by an unknown voice, "Shit!" the hand released my leg and I lay there paralyzed on the ground. _

_Another pair of hands enclosed over my shoulders and pulled me to another body. I felt someone's breath hit my face. I was now shaking and I was too scared to protect myself._

"_Ino, Ino are you okay. Choji is she okay, why isn't she talking?" Shikamarus' voice entered my head and I now knew that Shikamaru was in front of me and Choji was the one that pulled me away. _

_I all but threw myself at the darkness, finding Shikamaru and wrapping my arms around him. His hands moved to my back tears started to fall. _

_There was a break in the clouds above. Light from the moon covered the forest for a brief second. When the clouds recovered the moon, rain started to fall again. During that brief light, I looked ahead, only to see Asuma-sensei kill the man that tried to attack me. _

_When the light from the moon disappeared, I pushed my face into Shikamarus' shoulder and cried._

* * *

><p>"Shikamaru, you idiot, why did you do that?" I yelled at him. Shikamaru lay on the ground with a gash across his torso.<p>

He coughed and grimaced in pain before answering. "You were busy killing the other guy. He would have killed you if I wouldn't have jumped in the way."

"Oh shut up, I did not want you to answer. Damn it Shika!" I pushed chakra into my hands and began to heal the gash. I turned my head to look at Choji. He was single handedly stopping the other two guys from getting to Shikamaru and I. One of which did this to Shikamaru.

Blood covered my hands and I pushed a larger amount of chakra onto the wound. I could feel the slowly start to close up. "This is taking too long, Shika you are losing to much blood." I looked at his face and he smirked, "It sounds like you are worried about me Ino."

"Oh don't be stupid, I'm not worried about you. I am worried about our moms. They have put so much time into planning the wedding. If you died, it would all be a waste." He laughed.

"Ino don't make me laugh, it hurts to laugh. But you can keep telling yourself that if you want. As long as I don't die, I am perfectly happy with whatever you want to tell yourself."

I rolled my eyes at his comment. With all of the chakra I was using the wound was bleeding a lot less now and I could feel the gash closing up. The only problem was with all of the fighting and now the healing, I was running out of chakra and energy fast and could feel my mind start to fade because of it.

'Just a little more, come on Ino don't give up now.' I kept repeating to myself. With one last surge of chakra I fully healed the wound and fell to the ground beside Shikamaru.

I tilted my head to look at him. "Look at that, Choji killed the guys; we can rest for a second." I said then tried my best to look at him threateningly, "Don't ever do anything that stupid again Shikamaru." I said lifting my hand and failing at an attempt to punch him. He smirked at me and moved his face closer to mine.

"I can't make you any promises about that Ino. I already promised you father I would protect you. I can't break a promise with him."

I laughed and replied, "Someone has to be scared of him I guess."

He pushed himself up moved him lips to mine. Even a year after first kissing him, he still managed to stir butterflies up in my stomach. "Gross! Can you two stop making out for like five seconds. We need to move." Choji said from a few feet away.

A blush covered my face and I tried to get up, only to fail. Shikamaru noticed and pushed his body up from the ground. Once he stood up he bent down and picked me up. "Troublesome woman."

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><p><strong>Authors Note: Okay so that was the chapter. As I said before, I tried to write this chapter slower. It is a bit longer than the previous chapters; however, in this particular chapter the past is way longer than the present. It wasn't intentional, the story just kind of happened to turn out that way. Anyone who is still reading this PLEASE COMMENT ON THE STORY! I love reviews!<strong>

**Blondegirl09**


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors Note: Once again I did not get this updated as soon as I would have liked to. True, I did not procrastinate for months, but I wanted to update a little sooner than this. I do have a reason for procrastinating a bit though. Recently, I was started to read a story by a younger author that was brand new to Fanfiction. She had just posted her first story and was really scared that people would not read it. My opinion was, it was really very cute and I sent her a review telling her that the story was very nice and I hoped that she continued. I wanted to see if she posted another chapter, so I waited and she did. It made me very happy to see that she decided to continue on with the story. Anyway, I just had to say something about it because it made me smile! A thank you to *****TheMissMalave*****, *****mdtiger*****, *****RosieWinterMoon*****, and *anemone* for the reviews.**

**P.S.- I don't own Naruto. If I did, you could just watch this in the anime or manga. Nevertheless, I am just writing this story. =)**

* * *

><p><span>What a Life<span>

"_Ino, come on, you were supposed to be here like 10 minutes ago. The sooner we help your mom with the flowers, the sooner we get to go and play with the others!" Sakura yelled from down the street. She was standing in the entrance way of the flower shop, but started to run toward me after she finished yelling._

_The wheels on my wagon stopped screeching as I came to a stop. A calm breeze blew through the town. I looked back at the wagon, making sure none of the freshly picked flowers blew away. _

"_Sakura, it is still early. The other kids won't be at the park for at least another hour." I said as Sakura skidded to a halt in front of me. She put on her best impatient face and grabbed my free hand. _

_Once her hand latched to mine she moved quickly toward the shop, pulling both me and my wagon with her._

_As I was pulled into the shop I noticed Mrs. Nara standing in front of a shelf of flowers. Shikamaru was standing beside her, looking bored and tired._

_I let the handle of my wagon fall to the floor and walked over to them. _

"_They are the new daisies I picked yesterday. My mom and I just finished arranging them last night." I said as I pushed up on my tippy toes and pulled one of the flowers away for the punch._

_Mrs. Nara smiled down at me, "They are beautiful Ino, after badgering Shikaku, I finally received some daisies to put on the table in the dining room. I was hoping you had something a little different this time." She looked around the shop and spotted my wagon._

"_Oh those flowers are beautiful, will they be done today?" She asked excitedly. _

"_Sakura and my mom and I are going to arrange those today. We have to get those done before Sakura and I can go to the park. So, they should be done in a little while." I said thinking about the different arrangements for the flowers. _

"_How about this, I will come back in an hour, if you are not done arranging the flowers I will help your mom with the rest. That way Shikamaru can walk with you two down to the park, and I can be first in line to buy some of those beautiful flowers."_

_I smiled up at her as my mom walked into the store from the house. "Yoshiro, that sounds wonderful." _

_Mrs. Nara moved over to the counter where my mom was, leaving Shikamaru frowning next to me. "Good going Ino, now I have to go to the park too." He said slouching his shoulders and walking away from me._

_Both he and Mrs. Nara walked out of the store. 'I wonder what his problem is.' I thought to myself._

_An hour later Mrs. Nara and Shikamaru returned as promised. We already had nine arrangements made. Mrs. Nara wrapped herself in an apron and sat down beside my mother, they immediately started talking._

"_Ino, Sakura, and Shikamaru you three be careful. I want you all back here by dinner time." My mom said in a strict tone. "Okay Mrs. Yamanaka!" Sakura yelled back as she ran out of the doorway and into the street._

"_Sakura wait up!" I yelled after her, grabbing Shikamarus' hand and dragging him down the road; dodging people as I tried to catch up with my pink haired friend. _

_When the three of us arrived at the park, the game was already in play._

_I gentle breeze blew dust from the ground as we stood at the side of the seemingly empty park._

"_Oh Ino, I told you we needed to get here sooner, now everyone is already playing without us." Sakura said in a sad voice. _

"_Found you!" said a voice from behind us. "I didn't even know you guys were playing." _

"_Naruto, we just got here. How could we play the game if all of you started playing without us?" Shikamaru said in a mocking tone._

_Sakura and I giggled at Narutos' expense. "Okay everyone, come on out. Shikamaru is it now!" Naruto yelled and grinned at us. "You have to count to 50 Shikamaru." _

_Shikamaru mumbled under his breath, as he walked over the big tree and started to count. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5…" _

_I glanced at Sakura and then dashed away. 'I'll hide in the tunnel.' I thought. But when I got there, three kids were already hiding there. Frowning I ran to the next spot. _

'_Okay, then I will hide under the sliding board.' Sliding to the ground I crawled toward the slide, Sakura was already there. "Ino, hurry up and hide somewhere else. Shikamaru will find you." _

_Frowning, I stood up. "41, 42, 43…" Shikamaru said in the distance. "Darn it," I whispered under my breath._

_Quickly, I rushed across the ground and leaped under a bush when I heard Shikamaru say "49, 50, ready or not here I come!"_

_Laying on the ground, I tried to steady my breathing. 'If I'm not quiet Shikamaru will find me. I will not lose to him again.' _

_I felt ice shoot down my spine and glanced over my shoulder. My nose hit Shikamarus' and I scream sprang from my throat. _

_Shikamaru continued to stare at me; then, without warning, he fell on his back and started to laugh. I stood up while he was rolling on the ground and glared at him. _

"_Why do you always find me Shikamaru? Can't you find someone else for a change?" When he kept laughing, I stomped off and yelled that I lost and everyone should hide again._

_Long after the sun had set, Sakura and I giggled as we lay in the grass, looking up at the stars._

"_Shikamaru, you always win. It almost was not fair, until I saw the look on Narutos' face. He was so angry." Sakura said, after the giggling fit was over._

_The three of us glanced at each other again, before giggles erupted into the night air again._

"_I'm glad to see the three of you are having a good time." My voice stuck in my throat as I sat up and saw my dad. _

"_Ut-oh," I said, and looked at Sakura, knowing we missed dinner. _

"_Shikamaru, your mom is still at my house. Why don't you walk Ino home? I have to talk to Sakuras' parents before I go home."_

_Guilt took over my mind, as Shikamaru and I slowly made our way back to my house._

"_Oh man, my mom is going to be so mad. I will never hear the end of it. She is going to yell all the way home. This is so troublesome." _

_I listened to Shikamaru complain. 'I bet my mom was freaking out the entire time.' My shoulders felt heavier at the thought._

"_They are going to be mad when we walk in the door. I will get sent to my room. When your parents leave my mom will have a long talk to me and tell me my punishment for upsetting her and missing dinner." _

_As I kept talking, weight added to my shoulders and dread seeped through my voice. _

_Shikamaru linked his arm through mine. "Well, we have to walk through the door together, so until my mom drags me away, I've got your back." He smirked and reassured me while we walked through the door._

_Preparing for the worst, I sucked in a breath and closed my eyes I heard my mom yell "Ino!"_

_Shikamaru released my arm as my mom rushed toward me and wrapped me in a hug. _

"_I was so worried about you. Don't ever scare me like that again."_

_She sunk down to the floor and continued to hug me. Mrs. Nara pulled Shikamaru to her and hugged him too. _

"_Sorry mom, Mrs. Nara. We were at the park and when we finished the game we got caught up in the stars." I said into my moms' shoulder. Shikamaru chimed in with, "Yeah, we did not mean to upset you guys." _

"_It is fine, both of you are home safe and Inoichi should have dropped Sakura off by now. Just please, for the sake of my heart, don't do it again. Now, both of you missed dinner, how about we all go upstairs and heat the food up again?" My mom said as she stood up._

_I looked towards Shikamaru as he put his hand on my shoulder._

* * *

><p>"I cannot talk to you right now Shika." I said in an annoyed tone. "This report needs to be finished before the end of my shift."<p>

"Ino, just go on a quick walk with me; I only need five minutes of your valuable time."

I cut my eyes from the report in front of me and glared at him. "Damn it Shikamaru, do you want me to get fired?" I put the report on the desk in front of me and pushed myself up from the seat.

Quickly, I rolled my shoulders and tried to relax the muscles in my tired body. 'A double shift may be too much.'

"Please Ino, no one in this place would dare fire you. You work way too hard to be fired," Shikamaru with a smirk as we moved towards the entrance doors.

The all too familiar feeling of sinking hit my stomach as the doors swung open.

I pressed my hands to Shikamarus' chest and pushed him back as a sea of people rushed through the door.

Panic and the scent of blood, sweat, and tears filled the room.

I clenched the fabric of Shikamarus' shirt between my fingers, paralyzed by panic in the room.

As fast as the panic came, it was gone again and the medic-nin within me took over.

I moved through the crowded room and climbed on the table at the front of the room.

"That's it, everyone calm down!" My voice carried over noise in the room just as the other medics walked in.

As the injured were taken into rooms and being healed, I talked to the people in the lobby.

"What happened? What is the cause of all this?" I questioned a woman, who was sitting in one of the chairs.

"Please, my son was taken back to a room. Is he okay? He went to help put out the fire and when I found him he was all burned. He was in so much pain, please help him." The tears fell from her eyes as Sakura walked into the lobby.

"Mrs. Suzume, your son will be just fine. The burns are completely healed up. He is in room 213 if you would like to see him." She said with a smile.

"There was a fire Sakura. All of this happened from a fire." I said in a sad voice. Looking around the room, I noticed that Shikamaru was gone.

A nurse rushed into the lobby and said frantically, "Ino, Sakura, Tsunade needs your help immediately!"

Sakura and I ran towards the emergency room where Tsunade was located. My shoes kept sliding on the smooth tiled floor. Upon entering the room, I noticed how badly off the patient was. 'How did I miss him earlier?' I thought.

"Ino, stop standing around and help!" Tsunade yelled.

I made my way to the table and pushed chakra into my hands, preparing myself for a long and tiring night.

Two hours later, Sakura and I walked to the entrance of the hospital. We both had already grabbed our bags from our lockers and were ready to go home.

"Wow, I knew this job could be tiring, but this is ridiculous." Sakura said.

I looked at her as we walked through the halls of the hospital, she looked like she was ready to pass out. 'I probably don't look much better.' I thought.

I swung my bag around to the front of me and dug through it. When I did not find what I was searching for I opened the bag and looked inside.

"Shoot, Sakura I forgot my keys in the locker room. Why don't you go ahead and get home, I'll go back and get my keys alone. Then, I guess I will see you tomorrow." I smiled as she looked back, unsure of whether to go ahead or not. "Really Sakura, its fine. You go get some sleep, then tomorrow we have the day at the hot springs, so I'll see you then."

She sent me a tired smile and said "That's right, hot springs tomorrow, I can hardly wait. I'll see you tomorrow then." Sakura turned around and started to walk away.

I waited until she turned the corner before rushing, as fast as my tired feet would take me, back to the locker room.

Ten minutes later, I stepped out of the hospital doors, and started walking home.

"There you are Ino, I was beginning to think I was going to have to go into the hospital and drag you out," said a voice behind me.

I turned to see Shikamaru leaning against the wall of the building.

"Shika, you how long have you been waiting for me?" I asked. "I have been here since all of those people came in from the fire. It seemed a little crowded in the lobby, so I waited outside." He paused. "I saw Sakura leave a few minutes ago; she was so tired she did not even notice I was here."

My heart beat quickened at his response. "You waited for over two hours, for me? You did not have to do that Shika."

He pushed himself off the wall and walked towards me. He intertwined his fingers with mine and we started to walk towards my house.

"Ino, you and I both know that if I would have left, and you would have walked home alone, you dad would have murdered me. Then the wedding would have to be called off and my mom would be mad. She would bring me back to life, just to yell at me. It would be too troublesome to deal with, do here I am walking you home."

My laugh filled the air. 'I am so tired, but somehow he can make me laugh.'

We stopped outside the door of my house. "Well, my job is done, good night Ino." He released my hand and started to walk off.

A moment of regret passed through me as I watched him walk away. Pushing the thought from my head I grabbed the keys from my bag and unlocked the door. After turning back around I found myself face to face with Shikamaru. "I forgot something." He said, and moved closer to me.

His lips pressed against mine. Butterflies flew in my stomach. After two years of being engaged to him, the butterflies were still there.

The kiss ended and I looked at him. My brain was reeling, no matter how hard I tried, I could not think of anything to say; I needed to say something, anything to give me a few more minutes with him.

He broke both my thoughts and the silence, "I will not see you tomorrow, since you are spending the day with Sakura. So, I guess I'll see you in two days." He smirked and turned to walk away.

"Shika," I said and he turned his head back to me. "Try not to be late, the next time you see me is kind of important." He turned back around without a word and walked towards his house.

I opened the front door and almost silently made it to my room. I fell onto my bed, ignoring the fact that I was laying on the blankets.

My eyes shut and my mind started to shut off. With sleep taking over one last thought ran through my head.

'Two days!'

* * *

><p><strong>Okay so that the end of Chapter 7. Sorry for the long update time. After I started reading the other story (I mentioned it at the top of the chapter), I started writing this chapter, then school started back and everything else in life stopped. School work took priority to everything, including sleep. Anyway, hope you like the chapter, any guesses on what is in two days? I know what is in two days… and I am so excited! Gotta write quicker! <strong>

**Review please. Please, please, please, please with sugar and chocolate and cherries on top!**

**Blondegirl09**


	8. Chapter 8

**Authors' Note: As I said in the last chapter, school takes up all of my time. I wanted to update sooner than this, which I have said before, but my major requires me to write an obscene amount of reports and basically eat, drink, and breath school. The library has almost become my second home. Each time I got a chance to write, I would have to stop and work on another paper, or go to a class, or sleep. If you love the story as much as I love to write it, please be patient. I am still updating, just at a really slow rate; anyway, on the Chapter 8. Oh and I am not too confident in my skills of writing about things that happen on a honeymoon… all of you know what I mean. But I am going to write about it, and I will try my best not to make it horrible. Thanks to *TheMissMalave* and *RosieWinterMoon* for updating on Chapter 7!**

**P.S.- I don't own Naruto. If I did, you could just watch this in the anime or manga. Nevertheless, I am just writing this story. =)**

What a Life

_Step left. Stop. Step right. Stop. Step left. Stop. Step right. Stop. _

"_Ino what are you doing?" I turned to see Shikamaru standing at the end of the hallway, looking at me strangely. "What does it look like Shika, I'm walking. Gosh, even with your big brain you can't figure that out." I responded while walking back down the hall and flicking him in the forehead. _

_Mrs. Nara was mixing cookie dough as I walked into the kitchen. "Ino would you like to help me? I could use someone who can put the cookie dough on the baking sheets," she said to me._

_I smiled and skipped over to the empty baking sheet. I smiled up at her and waited for the bowl of cookie dough. _

"_Mom!" Shikamaru yelled from the other room. The bowl was passed towards me and Mrs. Nara said "I'll be right back, don't touch the oven Ino, it is very hot." She turned on the heel walked out of the kitchen._

_I turned the faucet in the sink on, to walk my hands. I lathered soap in my hands and pushed them under the faucet. Quickly, I yanked them from the running water with a "Yelp". I brought my hands to my mouth and blew on my skin as tears filled and spilled from my eyes._

_Mrs. Nara turned back into the kitchen and stopped when she saw me. "Ino, what happened? Did you touch the stove? Let me see your hands." She rushed over, gently took my arms and moved my hands into the light. _

_She turned them over and stared at the slightly reddening skin on my palms and fingers._

"_Let's get some ice for your hands." She said and pushed me towards an empty chair. The cold ice hit my skin and seemed to cool the burning._

"_I'll start putting the cookies on the pan. Once your hands feel better you can help with the rest, okay?" She wiped a tear away from my cheek and moved to the sink. She turned back to me and frowned, "I guess I should have warned you that the water is hot too," she said and cooled the water before washing her hands._

_When the burning stopped I jumped up from the chair shuffled over to where Mrs. Nara was standing. Carefully I scooped the dough from the bowl and dropped it onto the pan. _

"_Your mom said that your cousin got married today. You got to go to the wedding right? How did you like it?" Mrs. Nara questioned as the drops of dough started to fill the first pan._

_I beamed up at her, "Oh Mrs. Nara it was so pretty. There were flowers everywhere; they picked roses for the bouquets. But that is not even the best part. The bride, that's the lady marrying my cousin, had this big white dress on. She wore a veil and her hair was up in a bun and she looked just like a princess. I helped mom make the bouquet she was holding." I thought of how magical the whole event seemed. _

"_Did you not want to go to the reception?" she asked. _

_I looked up at her and questioned "What's a reception? Is that the party thing after the wedding? Mom said that we could eat dinner there and dance. But I heard you were making cookies and asked her if I could come here. I like to be here and I like cookies." I giggled at the last part._

_She laughed too and turned to get a second pan for the cookies. "You know Ino, when I was your age, I used to love to go to weddings. But weddings don't happen every day. Actually your mom and I were each married quite a few times when we were younger."_

_I shot her a questionable look and waited for her to continue._

"_I had a huge back yard at my old house, your mom and I would drag curtains outside and pick flowers. We had many weddings right outside in the back yard. Your mom married the cat, the dog, teddy bears, even my little brother. Of course none of it was real, but we loved to pretend."_

_I tried to imagine it; Mrs. Nara and my mom at my age, draping curtains over themselves and playing wedding. I giggled again at the image. "That sounds fun!"_

_Mrs. Nara seemed to think for a minute. "I've got an idea Ino, how about we have a wedding in the back yard? We can pick flowers and I have a drape we can use. You can be as pretty as the bride you saw earlier." I smiled up at her and hurried to finish the cookies._

_While the cookies were baking in the over I ran outside and picked some wild flowers. I sat on the ground arranging the flowers into a bouquet. I looked up when I heard the door to the house open up. Mrs. Nara walked outside with Shikamaru in tow. _

"_Ino I could not find a teddy bear, but Shikamaru was not busy; I figured her could make himself useful." She said as Shikamaru grumbled behind her. _

_She knelt down beside me and wrapped the drapes around my shoulders. Then she stood up and moved over to Mr. Nara, who just walked out of the back door._

_Shikamaru sat beside me as I finished arranging the flowers. "Why are you so troublesome Ino, I could be watching clouds right now." I frowned at him, "Well you are noisier then a teddy bear, but I guess you will do." I stuck my tongue out at him and laughed as he scowled at me._

_*** Mrs. Nara's POV***_

"_Yoshiro, what is going on? Why does Ino have a drape on her shoulders?" Shikaku said to me._

"_Sweetie, don't you recognize a veil when you see one? When the wedding starts, it will be draped over her."_

_I tried not to laugh at the look on his face. "What do you mean wedding?" He said in a panicked voice. _

"_Ino is playing wedding, Shikamaru just happened to be available for the position of the groom. She has picked flowers and everything. Earlier Ino and her parents went to their cousins wedding, Ino was amazed." I smiled at Inos enthusiasm from the earlier conversion._

_I yelled out into the yard, "Ino dear, let me go check on the cookies and I'll be right back. Then the wedding can go on as planned." She smiled at me from her spot in the grass._

_I turned to go inside the house but stopped after a few steps._

"_Shikaku, this is fun for Ino, but I did have an ulterior motive for this. I hoped to give her a little practice for getting married. I wanted to see if she was happy about it. She was so cheerful when she skipped outside to pick flowers for the bouquet." I smiled._

"_Well, they need practice now, because I doubt they will be very enthusiastic about this at 18." He responded._

_I looked towards the two children. They were laughing with each other. 'How many years do we have left? Will they still be laughing on the day of the actual wedding?'_

***Ino's POV***

"Just give me a minuet." I bellowed as I shut the door behind myself and leaned against a wall. I sunk down to sit on the floor and placed my face in my hands.

'Breathe Ino. Inhale… Exhale… Inhale… Exhale…' I told myself.

The door opened and closed again as the light flickered on.

"Ino, what are you doing in here?" The voice questioned. I shook my head in my hands and continued to breathe. "I'm fine," I said.

"Ino, dear you are hiding in a closet. You are not fine." The voice paused. I lifted my face from my hands and Mrs. Naras' face filled my view.

"Ino, tell me what is wrong. You were so happy yesterday." She said to me.

The wall that I had put up broke and my eyes started to fill. "I just feel like I need a minute to breathe. This morning, as soon as I woke up, I was rushed into the bathroom and I got a shower, then my hair was done. After that was I was rushed over to the makeup table. Everyone has been saying to go this way, and then go that way. Ino do this, Ino do that. Ino hurry and get out of the shower. Ino stop moving you will mess up your makeup." I said as a tear slid down my cheek.

Mrs. Nara stood up and pulled me up with her, then wrapped her arms around me and patted my back. "Ino I was so worried the it was about you not wanting to be here. I thought you were getting cold feet, and wanted to back out of it. I am so happy that is not the case. I mean, since it is arranged, you would not have been able to, but still." She smiled at me. "Come on Ino, we will go out into the next room. You will sit down, put your feet up, we will tweak your makeup a little bit and you will relax."

As the door opened up, I noticed that everyone had scattered. Sakura, Hinata, and Tenten were sitting by the window, trying not to let me know that they had been eavesdropping. My mom was at the makeup table, reapplying her lipstick.

"Sit down over there Ino, I'll go get the makeup." Mrs. Nara said as she shuffled off. I gently placed myself in the chair and, for the first time today, I let my shoulders relax.

I laid my head back on the chair and closed my eyes, as a fresh coat of foundation was put on my skin.

After sitting for a little while and listening to Tenten talk about how her date with Neji went, I finally felt like I was not being rushed.

"Ino, stand up for a minute and close your eyes." My mom said. I pushed out of the chair and stood up, closing my eyes and wondering what was happening.

"Alright, now step forward." My mom instructed.

I did and felt something smooth slide up my legs and wrap around my body. I felt it tighten with the sound of a zipped moving up.

Several gasps could be heard throughout the room. "Okay Ino, open your eyes."

I slowly lifted my eyelids and let my eyes rest on the mirror in front of me.

The dress was breath taking. My mom and Mrs. Nara kept the dress from me all of the engagement. It was absolutely perfect from me.

"We figured that the princess fit would look beautiful on you, it is. We found one that was simple. We also knew that your hairstyle and make up would complement the dress. Your father wanted us to give you this. It was his mothers and it covers the something old and borrowed categories." My mom said as she wrapped the thin silver necklace around my neck and tears filled her eyes.

I continued to stare at myself. 'Is this really me? I really look like a bride. I cannot believe it.'

"Ino if you are ready, it is time." Mrs. Nara said.

I walked over to Sakura, Hinata, and Tenten. I smiled lightly at them and they smiled back.

"You all look so pretty." I said to them.

They thanked me and moved towards the door in a line. I helped pick the red dresses they wore. Each dress worked well for them.

I picked up my bouquet. My mom and I chose red and white lilies for it.

I took a deep breath and walked out the door. My father stood in the hallway waiting for me.

"I can't believe that this is my little girl. Yesterday you were just a baby, now you are getting married. When did the time pass?" My dad said as he took my arm and started to walk with me. We stopped in front of a door and I took a deep breath.

"Are you ready Ino?"

I nodded and the door opened. I looked out at all of the people waiting to see me. 'The last time this happened, I was just pretending. Now here I am, walking through Shika's backyard, getting married.'

From somewhere in the back of my mind words echoed in my head.

'Step left. Stop. Step right. Stop. Step left. Stop. Step right. Stop.'

When we stopped walking, I brought my attention back to the present and focused on the man standing in front of me.

Shikamaru stood there, wide eyed, staring at me.

"Who gives this woman to this man?"

"I do." My father said from beside me. I started to move toward Shika, but I was stopped by something holding me back. I turned to look back at my arm, which was being held by my father.

"Dad, it is time to let go now." I said through a smile.

He was glaring at something, when I turned to look at what it was, I mentally screamed in frustration.

He was staring directly at Shikamaru, whom was staring back. 'What are they five and fighting over who gets the shiny toy!' I turned back to my mom and sent her a pleading look. She quietly moved over to my dad and released his grip from my arm. Then took him back to his seat.

I moved up to Shikamaru and listened to the man talk.

"We are gathered here today, on this happy and joyous occasion, to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony."

"Marriage is a solemn institution to be held in honor by all, it is the cornerstone of the family and of the community. It requires of those who undertake it a complete and unreserved giving of one's self. It is not to be entered into lightly, as marriage is a sincere and mutual commitment to love one another. This commitment symbolizes the intimate sharing of two lives and still enhances the individuality of each of you."  
>"Shikamaru Nara, do you take this woman to be your wedded wife? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her in sickness and in health, remaining faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"<p>

"I do" Shikamaru said.

"Ino Yamanaka, do you take this man to be your wedded husband? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health, remaining faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do" I said. 'Two years ago I would have though agreeing to this was crazy, but today I mean every word of it.'

"Then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

The words hit me and before I could fully comprehend them, Shikamarus' lips touched mine and I felt my head spin.

He took my hand in his and we moved through the crowd of people towards the house.

Once we were inside, we walked into the living room and sat on the couch. I smiled at him and said "Well this is what we have been planning for. This took two years to make everyone happy, two years to get our moms to stop arguing about the correct shade of red for the dresses. What in the hell were you and my dad having a stare off for!"

"Ino, he stared at me, so I stared back. I was not going to be intimidated by him. I was not going to be out stared either. You are not a guy so you don't get it. It was like he was challenging me to make sure I could take care of you." He said in response.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyed. When I opened them I saw my dad standing in the middle of the room, giving Shikamaru a death glare. Shikamaru stood up and walked over to him.

My dads' hand shot out and grabbed Shikamaru by his collar and pulled him closer.

"Shikamaru Nara, if you do anything to hurt my little girl, I will make you pay for it. Don't you dare make her unhappy and don't you ever make her cry. If you do I swear I will hunt you down and…" I jumped up, pushed myself between them, and moved them apart before he could finish his sentence.

"Damn it! Will you two stop acting stupid? First you have a stare off in the middle of the wedding and now, daddy, you are threatening my husband. Calm down!"

My dad responded with "Ino Yamanaka, do not tell me to calm…"

"Nara, its Ino Nara now." My eyes widened as Shikamaru interrupted my father and put his hand on my shoulder.

My fathers' face turned red and he turned and left the house, slamming the door on his way out.

"Say it again." I asked.

Shikamaru stepped in front of me and brought my chin up so I looked at him, "Ino Nara." A smile broke out on my face and I giggled. 'How can a change in my name make me so happy?' I wondered.

Hours later after the cake had been cut, we had danced, and the speeches were finished, I strolled around the yard, through the many people still attending the reception, looking for my father. 'Where is he?' I had finished saying my good byes to everyone but him.

I walked around to the front porch and there he sat, looking out at the sky.

I sat next to him and waited for him to say something. "Ino, I am sorry. I overreacted, I got territorial, I went crazy, and I could tell in your eyes when I took it out on Shikamaru, you were hurt." He paused. "You have been my little girl for so long, my only daughter, my pride and joy. I could not possibly give you away."

I started to respond but he held up his hand and I let him finish talking.

"When you were little I made a promise to protect you and keep you safe. Now that my head is clear, I can tell you that for years I have watched Shikamaru protect you, I know that he would never hurt you. I know that he loves you and that is why I am going to say this once and only once, because my heart cannot take saying it another time. I approve of this. Technically, I approved of it when I signed the arrangement, but now that you are grown up, I can see that, even if you won't fully admit it, you love him. I wish you both nothing but happiness and know that you will always be my little girl. Even though you are not so little anymore."

I jumped from my seat and wrapped him in a hug. "I love you daddy." He smiled and, without another word, moved back towards the party.

I all but flew up the stairs and stripped out of my dress. I changed into something I could travel in, grabbed my backpack and all but flew back down the stairs again.

Shikamaru stood in the front yard waiting for me. "Are you ready to go?" He questioned me. I nodded and he grabbed my hand. Leaves spun around us and we transported to the main gate of the village. Still holding my hand, Shikamaru began to walk.

The moonlight beamed down on us as we walked on the dirt road toward the hotel. "So, do you know where the hotel is?" I questioned Shikamaru. 'Of course he knows where it is dummy, he is Shikamaru he knows everything.' I thought mentally slapping my forehead.

"Troublesome woman of course I know where it is. It is not that far from the gate. You see it every time we leave to go on a mission." He said with a smirk.

"Oh yeah" I said, mad at myself for asking in the first place. 'Ino why are you so dumb? He is your husband if you want to talk to him, then talk. Don't ask stupid questions because then he can be all smart and smirk at you and call you troublesome.' I thought.

"Wow, a silent Ino, I never thought I would see or hear the day!" Shika said, laughing at me. I started to laugh to.

After the laughter died down I looked forward and saw the lights of the hotel. I smiled "there it is" and pointed towards it. Shikamaru checked in and we moved through the hallways until we got to our room. Shika opened the door and I followed him inside.

My stomach dropped as I realized the reality of the situation. I mean I knew this was a honeymoon, and I knew that this was our wedding night, but at this moment I realized what the wedding night meant. Before I could stop them, my hands started to shake and fear crept into my eyes.

I tried to stop it, but before I could Shikamaru turned and saw me. He walked over, took the bag from my shoulders and kissed me gently. Moving back slightly, he rested his forehead on mine and looked me in the eyes.

"Ino, calm down" he said as he rubbed his hands up and down my arms, "I know that it has been two years since we first kissed, two years since we were engaged, but do not worry. Today has been a very big step and we don't have to rush." He kissed me again.

"I love you, if you want to wait, it is fine. Nothing has to happen tonight." With that he moved away and started to walk towards his bag, taking my bag with him.

'Ino snap out of it. You love him, you know it. This is your wedding night and you only get one of those. I know your scared, but if you wait then you have to be scared tomorrow or the next day. You want this! You are married to the man you love, in a beautiful hotel room, with the moonlight streaming in through the patio doors. It is so romantic, go you idiot!' Before I could rethink or question myself I blurted out "Stop!" and Shikamaru turned and stared at me.

"I did not say that I wanted to wait. I had a moment of fear, but it is gone now. I know that today was I big step and we don't need to rush, but I'm not rushing. This is our wedding night, we get one of those and I will not waste it being scared." I paused. "I love you… I love you and don't I get a say in what happens tonight. I mean I should considering… now I feel as though I am rambling and I have lost my train of thought and…" Shikamarus' lips cut me off.

'When did he cross the room?' I thought before my head went fuzzy.

Along with my head going fuzzy, so did the world around me. One moment I was being picked up and carried, the next moment I was laying on the bed.

I felt my shirt move off of my body and at that particular moment I was trying desperately to undo the buttons on his shirt.

The next thing I knew I was completely undressed. Realizing it, I started to move, trying to cover myself. "Don't" one single word, from the man I love, made me stop and stare back into hit dark eyes.

"Don't hide from me Ino, you are much too beautiful to try and hide." He moved to my neck and left a trail of kisses from shoulder to my jaw.

His hands moved over my skin and I tried to hold back the moans that threatened to escape from my lips.

I ran my hands over his well-toned stomach and up towards his shoulders. Once I was able, I wrapped my arms around his back and pulled him to me for a kiss.

In another moment, he was entering himself into my body. He stopped and kissed me again, "This is going to hurt Ino, are you sure you want to do this?" I pushed my face into his neck and nodded.

With one movement he was fully inside of me. I felt my innocence rip away and I cried out and dug my fingers into his skin. Tears formed in my eyes and I waited for the pain to subside. Shikamaru kissed my lips and waited with me. I could see in his eyes how much he hated that fact that he hurt me.

When the pain finally stopped he started to moved. I moaned in pleasure, which to my surprise did not offend Shikamaru at all.

I cried out again, but not from pain, at the end of it all. Shikamaru emptied himself into me and laid his head on my shoulder. Feeling happy and tired I wrapped my arms around him and smiled. Once my heart rate went back to normal I said "Shika," and I looked at Shikamaru, waiting for him to look back.

He raised his head and stared back at me.

"Are you okay, I mean I am okay, well better then okay actually. But I want to know if you are okay." He sent me a small tired smile and replied "Yes Ino, I am okay."

After saying that, he pulled himself out of me and moved to lie beside me. He reached down and pulled the sheets up to cover our naked bodies. Then draped an arm protectively over me and closed his eyes. Smiling, I closed my eyes as well and drifted off to sleep.

The sun drifted in through the doors of the room. My eyes fluttered open and wandered over to Shikamaru. He was still sleeping and looked so peaceful. I tried to move, but his arm held me in place. With his eyes still closed he said "Where are you going Ino?"

I responded by saying "I wanted to get dressed and look outside."

He made a sound of disapproval and moved until he was over my small frame. "I don't think so." With that he leaned down and kissed me.

"What happened to the lazy Shikamaru that liked to sleep and not do anything?" I questioned teasingly.

He smirked and in reply said "He married you." And my mind went fuzzy again.

**Authors' Note: Okay so there it was. Chapter 8 is not finished. The wedding night scene could have been better, it think, but that is the best I could do. I wanted it to be sweet and what not so that what happened. If you comment please don't be to mad and harsh with me. I mean I did warn you! I wanted to stop the chapter when they got to the hotel and put the whole scene in Chapter 9, but I knew that it would not be enough to be considered a chapter, so I kept it here. Anyway, until next time!**

**Blondegirl09**

**Oh and if, by chance you did like it…. Please, please, please update and make my feel like I did not totally fail! Thank You!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Authors' Note: I am back! I do not have any classes until after Thanksgiving break, so I have a little more time to breathe. After looking around and noticing that the sky is still blue and winter is on its way, I opened my laptop and started to put all of the thoughts I had for Chapter 9 on this page. With the upcoming holiday near all of you, who are reading this story, can think of this as a belated Thanksgiving present. I'm not sure it is as good as a nice piece of pumpkin pie or *insert your favorite Thanksgiving food here*, but it works. Thank you to *****RosieWinterMoon*****, *****TheMissMalave*****, *ShikaLuv*, and *****Kaze Hanabi***** for the reviewing on Chapter 8.**

**P.S.- I don't own Naruto. If I did, you could just watch this in the anime or manga. Nevertheless, I am just writing this story. =)**

What a Life

'_Click…click…click…click…click.' I impatiently tapped my pencil on the desk in front of me._

'_When is this class supposed to start? I could be winning over Sasuke right now. How did Forehead get on the same team as him anyway? That was supposed to be me!' I ranted in my head. I could practically feel the steam shooting from my ears._

_I heard the door slide open and pink clouded my peripheral vision. I stared at the board in the front of the room, hoping that if I stayed very still Sakura would not notice me. _

_The legs of a chair scraped the floor and the old chair creaked as weight was put on it. _

_I turned my head around and stared at the pink haired girl beside me. "Why so you have to sit beside me Forehead?" I asked in a toned that I knew would piss her off. _

"_Well Ino-pig, if there were any more seats available I would have taken one of them, but this is the last seat in the room, darn." She retorted back in an equally annoying manner. My eyes darted around the room, hoping to find an empty seat and prove her wrong. Unfortunately, all of the seats were, in fact, taken._

'_Click…click…click…click…click.' I continued to tap my pencil on the desk, counting the seconds that went by. 'Where is the teacher? I mean if this class is mandatory and so early in the morning, can't the teacher at least be on time?' I asked myself._

"_Ino-pig if you do not stop drumming your pencil on the table I am going to rip it out of you hand and stab you with it." Sakura said, venom seeped from her voice._

_In one fluid motion, I stood up and pushed my chair back into the desk behind me, Sakura followed suit. We stood in the middle of the classroom, face-to-face, ready to tear each other's throats out. "Is that a threat Forehead?" I yelled. "No, Ino-pig, if I hear your pencil tap again it will be a promise!" She yelled back._

"_Damn, both of you, get out of each other's faces, pull your seats up, sit your butts in them, and listen to me!" A demanding voice called from the front of the room. I dark haired women sat on the instructors desk. The tan coat she wore hung off the side of the desk and the bangs fell in front of her eyes. Quickly, she swiped a hand over her hair, removing it from her eyes, and opened her mouth to talk._

"_My name is Anko Mitarashi, I will be your instructor for the day. As the hokage said in your scrolls, this will be a one-day course. Now that you have already graduated from the academy, you are expected to learn at a faster pace and apply what you learn in future missions." She paused, letting the previous information sink in._

"_As ninja, all of you know that your duty is to the village. You go on missions to retrieve information and carry out assignments; but, you are always supposed to protect the village." She paused again, as if to think about what to say next._

"_However, everyone in this room is not just a shinobi, but a konoichi as well. Today, you will learn that, as a female, your job is just as, if not more, difficult then a males' job. There are certain missions, called seduction missions, that you will be expected to carry out. Seduction missions are exactly what they sound like. You will be sent out of the village with a target, usually a man with a lot of power or information. Once you find this target, you will seduce him, get him to trust you, retrieve the information, and kill said target."_

_My breath hitched and clogged my throat. 'We will actually seduce men and kill them.' I tried to shout in rebellion, but my voice disappeared. _

_A different voice in the back of the room broke the silence, "Do the male shinobi know about these types of missions?"_

_Ankos' eyes followed the voice and answered, "Yes, some male shinobi know of these types of missions. Occasionally, they are even sent on the missions with konoichi. When a mission of this type is especially dangerous, a male shinobi will be placed on the mission for protection. Genin typically do not know about seduction missions; however, jonin and chunnin can be considered for protection. Since konoichi don't normally brag about being sent on these missions, the male shinobi will not be informed until the mission briefing." _

_Four awkward and upsetting hours later, I walked towards Team 10 training grounds. I was determined to let out some steam and try to forget about what I just learned. Skillfully, I pulled out three kunai. One after another, I launched them at a hanging target. The first two hit just outside the center, while the last hit a bulls eye. _

_A shadow formed beside mine and I looked to my left, startled. _

"_Ino you were supposed to be here 3 hours ago. I am not exactly the prize winner for perfect timing, but this is pushing it." Shikamaru frowned at me as he spoke. _

_I pushed him away from me, agitated that I could not tell him why I was late. Anko-senseis' words echoed in my head, 'Genin do not typically know about seduction missions.' I sat on the ground and pondered this._

'_Does that mean that Shikamaru, Mr. Big Brained Lazy Know-It-All, does not know about them?' I asked myself. _

_I zoned out of my thoughts with Shikamaru standing over me, staring rudely. I pushed myself back off the ground and started to walk._

_Moments later Shikamaru fell into pace with me as we walked towards my house. Silence took over until we made it back into town. As we passed older buildings, located on the outskirts of the town, Shikamaru finally spoke._

"_Troublesome girl, where were you earlier? Choji and I searched everywhere. You were not at your house; you were not at the training fields. You were not with the Hokage or at any of our normal restaurants. You basically disappeared." He questioned._

_I stopped, letting children pass and race down an alley to our right. 'How do I explain this without telling him about the class? Maybe if I am mean and insensitive he will go home.' I thought._

"_Why does it matter Shikamaru? I did not show up for practice today. I show up every other day so get over it. Maybe I had better things to do today, like work in the shop or go on a date." I decided to go with the date, because it was safest. Shikamaru would not want to pry into the female mind when boys were the topic._

"_Maybe I met some super-hot guy and talked with him today. Maybe I hung out with Sasuke!" _

_As soon as the name left my lips, I knew I was wrong. Fingers wrapped around my arms and I was pushed to the wall behind us. My back hit the wall first, followed immediately by my head. My skull hit the tough brick and a headache started to form._

"_What is it that all of you girls see in that guy. He is arrogant, self-centered, obsessive, cocky, and anti-social. He does not notice any of you!" His fingers dug deeper into my arm as anger radiated from him._

_I locked eyes with him and pushed strength into my hands. Quickly, I lifted my arms up and shoved him away from me. As his fingers left my skin, I could feel bruises start to form._

"_There is that temper that you hide so well. It has been so long since I last saw it. Well Shikamaru, as I said before, why does it matter? No, I was not with Sasuke, but if I decide to pursue him, that is my choice."_

_I brought my hand up to my upper arm, where light purple blotches started to form. 'I cannot believe it, Shikamaru does not hurt me. Why in the hell would he do this?' _

_As the first tear slid down my cheek, I said, "You can think of Sasuke how you want, but I also want you to remember this. Sasuke may not notice me, but at least he has never left bruises on me and he will never be half of the lazy, insensitive, jerk that you are being!"_

_I turned and ran in the direction of my house. Once it came into view, I jumped up to a nearby roof. Then, I jumped from there until I could swing into my bedroom window. _

_I removed my shoes and crawled into bed. 'I know I started the whole thing by being mean in the first place, but he did not have to go that far. It's not like I could have told him where I actually was!'_

_I turned to my side and looked out the window from the cocoon of blankets. The day had passed by so fast. It was nearly dinnertime. Thinking of the bruises that now covered my arm, I decided against dinner. _

'_If I fall asleep mom will not bother me about dinner, which is probably my best bet. I would hate to have to explain the bruises to my parents. Dad would throw a fit.'_

_I looked back towards the window. The sun was beginning to set, leaving the sky in a whirlwind of colors. Yellow faded to orange, which faded to pink, red, purple, and blue._

_Finally, I closed my eyes and block out the light._

The sun poured in through the window of my bedroom. When it hit my eyes, I squeezed my eyelids tighter together, hoping to sleep for a few more minutes. When the sun did not go away, I stretched out my arms and legs, letting my muscles prepare for the day ahead. Reaching to my side, I noticed that the body that was in bed when I fell asleep was no longer there.

The clang of metal made me snap my eyes open and squint against the intruding light. I pushed back the blankets and swung my legs over the side of the bed. Rushing to the window, I gazed out and sighed in relief.

'It is only Shikamaru and Shikaku sparing.'

I moved to the bathroom and stripped off my pajamas. Grabbing a towel and wash cloth I swiftly jumped into the shower. I squirted shampoo into my hand and worked it into my long hair. After washing and conditioning my blonde locks, I lathers suds onto the washcloth and scrubbed my skin.

I leaned against the shower wall, going over the day schedule in my head, letting the warm water rain down on me. I had to eat something substantial for breakfast, gather my mission scrolls and weapons, and eventually head towards the main gate before noon, for my mission.

I turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. After drying my wet skin, I walked out to the closet and dresses in my normal attire. Grabbing the bag I packed the previous night, I lifted it to my shoulder and left the room.

I set my bag on the floor near the outside door and turned it walk into the kitchen. 'I cannot believe that this whole house it for Shikamaru and I. The Naras' were so generous to build this for us.' I thought.

I grabbed a bowl and poured cereal into it, followed by milk. I took a spoon and ate my breakfast while admiring the kitchen.

Once I finished with breakfast, I grabbed my bag by the door, slipped on my shoes, and walked outside. The two men who were still sparing did not seem to notice me. Silently, I walked up to them and waited.

They stopped sparring almost instantly and Shikamaru turned to me.

"I am going to go now. I have to be at the gate in about an hour and I still need to stop by the hospital." I said to him and smiled.

Smiling back at me, he leaned in and touched his lips to mine. "Be careful Ino, I won't be there to have your back."

I kissed him again, silently promising to be careful, and turned to walk toward the main gate, waving to Shikaku as I left.

The walk to the hospital was peaceful. The light breeze moved the leaves that had fallen from the trees. Birds sang and chirped; small footsteps from the nearby park could be heard.

The hospital doors opened with a 'clank'. A couple sat in the waiting room, worried expressions covered their faces. A baby's wail echoed down the hall, along with the sound of a child screaming about 'no shots'.

I smiled inwardly and sighed in relief. 'At least it is a slow day, I would hate to leave Forehead with more work then she could handle.'

A moment later, the pink haired medic stepped out of a room and walked towards the main desk, patients' chart in hand. "Sakura, can you spare a minute?" I yelled out, a little louder then I intended. She looked up and smiled, closing the chart and setting it on the desk, she moved over to me and we walked out of the doors.

Sitting on a bench outside, I took a deep breath and prayed before I spoke. "Sakura, I am going to have to skip out on dinner tonight." I said more in one word then an actual sentence. "I know that you and have been planning this dinner party for weeks and everyone took off work to make it, but Lady Tsunade said that this mission was important and I can't miss it. Besides Shika should still be there, but I don't know if that helps. He will probably just find a corner and sleep through the entire event. Anyway, I leave in a few minutes and I didn't want to tell you, incase Tsunade canceled the mission, but she didn't. I am so so sorry!" I gulped in a breath.

Sakuras' face was blank. Then without warning, a smile spread across her lips and a laugh erupted for her. "Ino, I already knew about the mission, I see Tsunade everyday remember? You sat up last night and worried about this didn't you. Just go on your mission and stop worrying about anything else." The smile slowly dissipated and her expression was serious.

"Are you sure you will be okay Ino? Just say the word and I can have Tsunade send someone for protection. Of course, Shikamaru is out of the question, but what about Choji? Naruto would be happy to go, if he had the chance to protect someone. Lee would go, but he is taking me to the movies tomorrow, so he is not an option."

I cut her off with a hug. "Sakura, when were you going to tell me about this? You know what, never mind that for now. I will be fine without a protector. I don't need some guy getting in my way." I released her from the hug and jumped up. I giggled as I walked away, happy with the idea that Sakura was finally getting over _**him**__. _

"Oh Sakura, don't think you are getting away with this that easily, I want a full report on the date when I get back!" I yelled over my shoulder.

Ten minutes later, I stepped out of the village. I went over the mission details in my head, did a quick check of my supplies, and started to run.

Within a day, I had made it to Kusagakure. This is where my target was located. I walked through the small town that was surrounded by a think forest of trees. 'This will not make for a fast escape if necessary.' Putting the thought to the side, I walked into the bar I would be working at.

As I moved through the doors, I noticed that the smell of sake perforated the room and a thin wall of smoke clogged the air. The bar was empty, except for a few workers scattered around it.

I very short round man started in my direction. According to the pictures in my file, this was Mr. Tasuba, the man who owned the bar. He told me to follow him and walk past me, out of the bar. I followed him and we entered a hotel, located a few buildings away. We moved away from the lobby and into a room.

Once inside the room, he finally spoke again. "You are here from Lady Tsunade? You are here to help me take care of him right?"

I smiled politely and replied, "Hello, my name is Mei. I am your new server at the bar. I have the uniform you sent here." I pulled the bag off my shoulders and reached into it, grabbing the uniform I was to wear. "I was informed that my shift begins at 5 o'clock, which gives me time to learn a little before I start working."

He signed and a layer of worry seemed to peel away. "The room is paid for, you may eat you meals at the bar if you would like; however, I do not let my servers drink while they are working. I can go over anything else you will need to know later. I am leaving now, please change and meet me as soon as possible." With that said, he left the room and closed the door behind him.

I looked at the outfit in my hand. Considering my normal attire, I was used to showing my stomach, but this was a bit more revealing. Trying not to be self-conscious, I changed into my new apparel and stood in front of the mirror.

The top showed more of my chest then I like and the shorts were entirely too short for my taste. 'Ino Yamanaka you cannot walk out in public like that!' I heard my mother shout from somewhere in the back of my head. 'Damn it, I am Ino Yamanaka, or Mei in this case, I do not get self-conscious. I will walk into that bar and make everyone wish they were me!'

After my pep talk, I threw on a coat and rushed out of the hotel and into the still uninhabited bar an hour before my shift started.

"Mr. Tasuba, I am here. What do I need to know?"

Eight hours later, I regretted that question. The night turned out to be a total bust. Not only had the target not attended the bar, but I had been hit on multiple times, and I had also been partially felt up by a few brave souls. I was not even aloud to hit the idiots!

I stripped off my clothes, once I returned to my room, and stood in the shower. As desperately as I tried to scrub, the feeling of fingers on my skin would not go away. I decided to give up, I was as clean as I was going to get, and dried my skin and hair before slipping my pajamas on.

I fell onto the bed from exhaustion. 'I am a ninja, who knew that both serving drinks and food and trying to dodge pervy hands was such a chore!' With that thought, my heavy eyes shut and I drifted to sleep.

The next two days went through the same pattern. I work up later in the day, went to work, and went back to the hotel disappointed because the target had not shown, washed off a layer of skin, and drifted to sleep.

"Hey sweetie, I want another bottle of sake!" I man's voice shouted from my side. The bar was packed tonight. I could hardly move, let alone breathe, and this person expected me to know which one he was. "Okay, one minute." I shouted and rushed through the crowded room. I grabbed a bottle of sake off the bar and shouted to the bar tender, "I'll be right back with a table number and name, and this is absolutely insane!" The bar tender laughed as I rushed back toward the table. Something shiny caught in my peripheral vision and I stopped mid stride to look.

My stomach whirled up to my throat and I cheered in my head. 'There he is, there is the target.' Karashi Fuuma, no relation to the Fuuma Clan in Sound Country, sat at a vacant table. He was watching the people in the bar, his eyes moved from once direction and landed on me.

Forgetting about the previous customer, I slowly made my way to the table he occupied. "Would you like some sake? I noticed you did not have any." Smiling he accepted and asked for another bottle when he finished that one.

Hours later, the crowd slowly started to disappear. I carried a bottle of sake to Mr. Fuumas' table.

"Thank you Mei" he said, folding his hands in his lap and I poured the sake into his glass. As I lifted the bottle, I looked up and saw a man at a table across the room, and stood paralyzed. While his dark eyes stared into mine, every muscle locked up. I felt the bottle leave my hands and distantly heard it shatter.

Quickly, I snapped back into reality. I looked over at my target, who was currently staring at my feet, and tried to play off what just happened. I sunk to my knees and carefully picked up pieced of the broken sake bottle. Fake tears flooded my eyes. "I am so sorry, I don't know what happened. I completely lost all feeling in my hands and dropped the bottle. You must think that I am a terrible person!"

Karashi lifted me from the floor and took the pieces of glass from my hands. "Not at all Mei, accidents happen. Come on, now that the bar is closing, let me walk you home." I nodded in agreement, quickly scanning the room for the man from earlier, but there was no sign of him.

A few minutes later, we walked through the town. He guided me with his hand on my back; I brought up a mental map of the town and found a route to escape.

We swerved left into a dark alley and I was pushed against the wall of a building. "Mei, if that it your real name, who do you work for. I was not completely convinced at first, you seemed so eager to serve me. But when you made eye contact with someone in the bar, probably who you are working with, I knew you were a fake."

I took out a hidden kunai and sliced his throat. Shock covered his face as he fell to the ground. Blood flowed from the gash and I jumped further into the alley to avoid it.

I felt a presence behind me and quickly turned my body around. As I turned, I found myself staring into those same dark eyes. My muscles locked again and my body refused to move, not from fear, but just from the look on his face.

"Hello Ino."

**Authors' Note: Okay so I soooo wanted to have that out sooner than I did. I started typing and then… BAM! If school is not a problem, then it has to be something else. I ended up getting sick before Thanksgiving and did nothing but sleep for like three days. I couldn't even eat Thanksgiving dinner with my family! Anyway, I have felt a little better today, and since I spent the whole day lying around, I decided to type. I hope all of you loved the chapter, I think it turned out okay.**

**Please review! I love reviews! I also need to feel better before school resumes and reviews would be a great medicine…. =)**

**Until next chapter,**

**Blondegirl09**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: So I am back! School finally ended, I got all A's this semester, and I am finished with all of my holiday shopping. I wanted to update this like forever ago, but this month has been completely hectic. Usually I love this time of year, but this has been crazy so far. Anyway, I finally bought my last gift and found time and energy to write. In the three reviews I got from the last chapter, two of the reviewers guess that Shikamaru was the man in the shadow. When I started Chapter 9, I knew what I wanted the story line to be like. However, I had two options in my head for the man at the end, standing in the alley saying "Hey Ino." By the time, I got to that part of the story I had finally decided which one I wanted to use. The answer, to which man it is, is located in this chapter! Thank you to ****littlemelonatplay****, ****RosieWinterMoon****, ****TheMissMalave**** for the reviews! All three made me smile =).**

**P.S.- I don't own Naruto. If I did, you could just watch this in the anime or manga. I am just writing this story. =)**

* * *

><p><span>What a Life<span>

"_Ino… Ino… Ino Yamanaka!" The shrill voice of my mother entered my ears and pushes its way into my head. I twisted under the sheets and pushed a pillow over my head, trying to block out the noise. My bedroom door opened and kit the doorstop with a 'SLAM'. "Ino Yamanaka, if you are still breathing got you butt out of bed and get dresses, I need you to take over watch of the shop."_

_I groaned in annoyance and pushed my head farther under the pillow. "Ino you have been sleeping since dinner time, yesterday, it is time to wake up. _

_After ignoring her again, I felt a hand grab at the section of blanket near my shoulder. My muscles tensed up as the blanket was ripped away from my body._

_I sat up and glared at the women trying to ruin my life. "Mom, my head is killing me and I had a long day yesterday, why can't dad watch the shop?"_

_She turned on her heel, not acknowledging my question. "You have five minutes Ino, and then I am coming up and dragging you down to the shop." With that, she turned the corner and walked down the hallway. I pushed off the mattress and started getting ready._

_Five minutes later, I opened the cabinet in the kitchen and pulled out to painkillers for my pounding head. As I walked down the stairs, my mom walked out of the shop door, waving good-bye and shouting that she would be back in a few hours. _

'_Why does my head hurt so much today?' I questioned. I brought my fingers up to my hair and rubbed lightly, a bump was protruding from the back of my head. The memory flooded back into my brain._

_"Maybe I met some super-hot guy and talked with him today. Maybe I hung out with Sasuke!" _

_As soon as the name left my lips, I knew I was wrong. Fingers wrapped around my arms and I was pushed to the wall behind us. My back hit the wall first, followed immediately by my head. My skull hit the tough brick and a headache started to form._

"_What is it that all of you girls see in that guy. He is arrogant, self-centered, obsessive, cocky, and anti-social. He does not notice any of you!" His fingers dug deeper into my arm as anger radiated from him._

_I locked eyes with him and pushed strength into my hands. Quickly, I lifted my arms up and shoved him away from me. As his fingers left my skin, I could feel bruises start to form._

"_There is that temper that you hide so well. It has been so long since I last saw it. Well Shikamaru, as I said before, why does it matter? No, I was not with Sasuke, but if I decide to pursue him, that is my choice."_

_I brought my hand up to my upper arm, where light purple blotches started to form. 'I cannot believe it, Shikamaru does not hurt me. Why in the hell would he do this?' _

_As the first tear slid down my cheek, I said, "You can think of Sasuke how you want, but I also want you to remember this. Sasuke may not notice me, but at least he has never left bruises on me and he will never be half of the lazy, insensitive, jerk that you are being!"_

_I frowned, looking down at my arms and noticing the purple blotches that covered them. I turned and started for the stairs, but the sound of the bell on the door stopped me. I turned back ready to greet the customer._

_Breath caught in my throat and a blanket of guilt covered my shoulders, weighing them down and making my upper body slump. _

_Shikamarus' eyes stared into mine; dark circles covered the bottom of his eyes. "Shikamaru." I said quietly, ashamed at the fact that I started the argument yesterday. _

_His eyes continued to stare into mine. When they finally did move, his gaze connected directly with the purple blotches that stained my arms. He flinched slightly; sadness covered his face._

_He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but closed it and turned his head toward the door. Turning back to me, he started to speak. _

"_Your mom passed me on my way here; she is cooking with my mom for dinner tonight. Do you want to take a walk? You can put the 'be back in a few minutes' sign up, she will never notice."_

_I slipped the apron from around my neck and started walking towards the door. Once we moved into the busy street, I locked the door behind me and put the sign up. Shikamaru started walking towards the down the street. I walked with him, noticing he was very careful to keep his distance from me and my arms. _

_We walked into the park and sat on a bench under the big tree in the middle. I tilted my head and glanced at Shikamaru. He was staring at the ground and he appeared to be thinking about something. I inhale deeply and let the words flow from my lips, trying not to think about how bad I felt._

"_Shika, I know that you are probably mad at me. I started the whole argument yesterday and pushed your temper. I know that you have an explosive temper and I still pushed you. I should not have said that you were a jerk, you aren't, and I should not of throw Sasuke in your face, I know how you feel about him. You're one of my best friends and I hate fighting with you. Now you won't even look me and every time you look at my arms, you flinch. You know the bruises are my fault. In addition, there is the fact that you look as if you got a total of five minutes of sleep last night. I am just so sorry, I feel horrible." _

_I exhale after finishing my apology, not feeling any better and a little stupid, considering Shikamaru was staring at me as if I was crazy._

"_Ino, I don't know why you brought up Sasuke yesterday, but I am not even worried about that. I can't look at your arms because I am the reason for those bruises. I lost control of my temper and hurt you. I have also noticed that you keep rubbing your head. I am guessing that there is a bump there too. That is also my fault. I hate my temper, which is why I hide it. I spent all night lying in bed thinking about how much you would hate me, and you are sitting there apologizing to me. I am sorry for hurting your, there was no reason for it, no matter how mad I was."_

_I stared at him and he stared at me. Out of nowhere laughter bubble in my throat and I started to giggle uncontrollably. Shikamaru started laughing to and I was sure that we looked like total idiots, sitting on a park bench, practically falling on the ground._

_Once I could breathe again, I said, "So in the last twenty-four hours, we have gone from blindingly mad at each other, to sad and guilty, to apologetic, and then we are laughing so hard that neither of us can breathe."_

"_Since we are both in this random good mood, can I ask you a question Ino?" Shikamaru said. I nodded. "What were you really doing yesterday?"_

"_Well Shikamaru, I will tell you when you tell me why you have such a problem with Sasuke." I challenged._

_Shikamaru smiled at me. The smile dropped off his face when a loud echo could be heard through the town._

"_INO!"_

* * *

><p>"Hello Ino."<p>

"What are you doing here?" I retorted. My heart started to pound faster as he stepped closer to me. Accordingly, I took one-step back; my foot hit Karashis' leg and I moved quickly to balance myself. Jumping backward I landed just on the outside of the alley.

Locking eyes with the dark-eyed man, I turned and started to run, making my way into the hotel and getting to my room. Quickly, I opened the door and slipped inside. A hand stopped me from closing the door and I was pushed farther into the room. He slammed the door closed.

"Ino I just happen to be in the neighborhood. I stopped in a random bar, for a celebratory drink and what do I find?"

I glared at him, knowing he was going to answer for me.

"I find Ino Nara, in a skimpy outfit, carrying drink around the bar and batting your eyes at some random man."

Rage bubbled in my stomach. "Don't you dare make this sound worse than it is. I am doing my job. What the hell are you doing here anyway?"

"First off, what the hell are you talking about? This, pointing to my outfit, is not part of your job. Secondly, I am here to give someone a scroll. That is my job. The last thing I expected to see was you hanging on a stranger, wearing all but nothing."

The rage boiled over and I pushed him out of my face. "Shikamaru Nara, if I want to talk about in some skimpy outfit and hang all over random guys that is my business. However, this is actually a job. I turned and pulled the scroll out of my bag, practically throwing it at his head."

He quickly opened the scroll and scanned it, anger diminished and he lowered the scroll, looking at me. I could read every question that crossed his face, but I had no idea of how to answer them.

I gently grabbed his hand and sat on the side of the bed, pulling him to sit down beside me. Quietly, I waited for him to ask the first question.

"Why didn't you tell me about this mission?" He glanced at me and waited for an answer.

"I have known about these types of missions for years now, and for this entire time I have not told you about them. Once morning all of the girls from our old class had to get together and sit through a lecture on them. After the class, I tried to lie my way out of answering your question and caused a fight. Ever since then I have been avoiding the moment where I had to tell you. I hated learning about seduction mission almost as much as I hate preforming seduction missions."

I watch realization cover his face I stood up for the bed and slid a pair of pants over the bottom of my uniform.

I looked towards the door when I saw Shikamaru's head twist quickly away from me.

"Find the person responsible for killing Karashi! Search every room!" A voice yelled in the hallway. I jumped over to my bag and threw the remaining items into it. Shikamaru was already at the window, opening it and gesturing for me to jump out. He jumped after me and we ran, jumping into the forest.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: So I know, Chapter 10 is excessively short. I wanted to make the 'present time' longer but ended up stopping it at the point of escape. I am actually going on vacation over the Christmas holiday and my laptop is, unfortunately, saying home. I wanted to submit a chapter before I left. If I did not submit this chapter not, all of you would have had to wait, to find out who the man was, until at least two weeks from now. I promise Chapter 11 will be longer! So PLEASE REVIEW and tell me what you thought! I LOVE reviews! Until next chapter…<strong>

**Blondegirl09**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Okay so here is Chapter 11. Classes, for college, are starting back in a matter of days. Since free time, meaning writing time, is almost non-existent during the semester, I decided to update now. A big thank you to *mdtiger*, *Angel*, *TheMissMalave* and *RosieWinterMoon* for the reviews on Chapter 10 and *Cookies-Potterhead-Cream98* for the review on Chapter 5. Okay, so without further ado, Chapter 11!**

**P.S. - I don't own Naruto. If I did, you could just watch this in the anime or manga. I am just writing this story. =)**

* * *

><p><span>What a Life<span>

"_NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, get away from me!" I screeched. The man pulled the sharp object away from me as a kicked my feet and threw my arms in protest._

"_I need a little help in here!" The man shouted and moments later three strangers rushed into the room and grabbed at me._

"_NO!" I screeched again as the three new arrivals held my limbs so I could not fight anymore. _

_A new stream of tears slid down my, already wet, cheeks as the man moved towards me, holding the sharp object. I tried kicking my legs again, but I could not. My eyes widened as I felt something pierce the skin on my arm. _

"_OW, OW, OW, OUCH!" I screamed. The man was already backing away from me and my arms and legs were released. _

"_Mrs. Yamanaka, you may come in now, it is safe." The man said. My mother walked through the door and I launched myself off the table and wrapped my arms around her._

"_Mom, it was horrible. He is so mean. Why did you leave me?" I said in a pitiful voice. _

_My mom smiled down at me and ran her hand over my hair. "Ino, I had to leave the room. Remember the last time you came to get your shot; they had to pry you from me. I am so proud of you Ino; you did not even hurt anyone this time." She glanced up at the nurse that remained in the room, the one that I bit the last time._

"_Doctor, thank you again for being so clam about all of this. Ino does not really hate you; it is just the fear talking." _

_A few minutes later, I held my mother's hand as we walked out of the hospital. I smiled at the thought of the lollipop in my pocket. 'This is the only good thing that comes from that building. I hate it there!' I thought to myself._

_When we walked into the shop, my dad grinned at me from behind the counter. "There is my big girl! How did you trip to the hospital go?" I frowned at him._

_My mom laughed and announced that, this time, I did not hurt anyone. My dad rushed to me and quickly picked me up, wrapping me in a hug._

"_Dear, I was asking because I was worried about Ino." He lifted me higher in the air and spoke. "Ino, you are okay right? They did not hurt you?" I paused and then smiled, "Daddy, I am okay. The shot hurt, but not that bad."_

_He smiled again and said, "Okay that is good. I was afraid that you would get hurt and I would have to run to the hospital and beat up that doctor."_

_My mom rolled her eyes and mumbled something like "Now we know who she gets her violent tendencies from."_

_My dad put my back on my feet and turned to walk away. I reached into my pocket to get my reward, but I only felt air. "Daddy! You have to help! It is horrible my lollipop is gone. I have to have it. It is the only good part about going to the hospital." I pleaded. _

_He turned back to me and grabbed my hand. "Well, if it is that important, let's go!" He said in a heroic voice that made me laugh._

"_Dear, can you watch the shop for just a few minutes? If Ino does not get that lollipop, the world may end." Without waiting for her answer, we moved out of the shop and down the road towards the hospital. _

_Minutes later when we walked through the doors, I released my father's hand and rushed to the front desk. I smiled up at the nurse sitting in the chair. _

"_Well Ino, why are you back so soon?" The nurse smiled at me. "I had to come back here; I got all the way home and realized that my lollipop was gone!" She laughed lightly and opened the drawer of the desk, pulling out a new purple lollipop. "Here you go sweetie!" I reached out and took the candy from her, thanking her nicely._

_Beyond the doors of the hospital, I heard shouting and it was getting closer. I turned towards the doors and looked questionably. _

_The doors burst open and time seemed to go in slow motion. Two men were holding a third up. He was slumped over covered in blood. His clothes were cut up and ugly gashes appeared behind them. A headband, like my dad wore, was gripped in his hand, both coated in dried blood. As his grip on it loosened, and it fell to the floor, the nurse behind me rushed to him and led him to the hallway where the rooms were. She loudly called for a doctor as the door shut behind her._

_I stared at the object on the floor and the trail of blood leading to and from it. 'Was he a ninja like daddy? He couldn't have been because daddy can't ever get hurt like that.' The thought made tears roll in my eyes and clog my throat._

_My dad knelt down and pulled me to him. He pulled me into a hug and protected me from the horrible scene I just witnessed. _

_I started crying hysterically, saying, as best as I could through the sobs, how that could happen to him._

"_Ino, please calm down. That will not happen to me because I have to come home to you and your mother. I am so sorry you had to see that." He said comfortingly._

_My eyes opened as the tears slowed, and widened as a harsh scream pierced the air._

* * *

><p>"Shhh, now there is no need to cry. Aw, calm down now. I said smiling it the infant I held in my arms.<p>

I walked over to the large window in the room and held the baby up to it. I could hear giggles and sighs from the hall. A hug was exchanged between mother and son. I turned away from the window and the baby moved in my arms. I smiled down at her.

"Well, I see that we are happy to have the extra room." Gently I placed the newborn in her bassinet. As I pulled the pink blanket over her I said, "Let's just get you tucked in. Then we will take a little ride. I bet your mommy and daddy just can't wait to hold you again. Would you like that?" The infant wriggled under the blanket and that seemed like a good enough answer for me.

I wheeled the bassinet through the door and down the hall. 'It is so funny how babies have this effect on people.' I thought, as a watched patients look toward the baby. She grabbed the attention of everyone as we walked through hospital.

One particularly adorable little girl ran up to me. I stopped moving and watched as the child pushed up onto her toes and glanced over the edge of the plastic wall.

Her eyes widened and an expression of joy covered her small face. She turned her head towards me and a smile widened even more. "The baby has such pretty blue eyes. They sparkle just as your eyes do. Is this your baby?"

Air clogged my throat. As I stood holding the bassinet, I could feel my pulse jump. Every time my heart beat, it felt as though it was going to pop out of my chest. As I sucked air back into my lungs, I tried to act as if the question did not affect me. The girl remained at the edge of the plastic wall, patiently waiting for an answer.

"No sweetie, she is not my baby. I am actually taking her to see her parents right now."

The answer seemed to satisfy her curiosity. She turned to the baby again and grinned at her. After that, she moved away and looked up at me. "Thank you for letting my see the baby." Pausing for a moment, she rocked back on her heels, "My mommy is going to have a baby, but not for a little while." She placed her tiny hands over her stomach, "The baby is right here. Mommy came to the hospital to get medicine so the baby is strong and healthy." Her smile broadened, "Daddy says that mommy is going to have a boy and in a few months I will have a new brother, but can you keep a secret?" As I nodded, her head turned from one side to the other, checking for someone that could hear what she had to say. She leaned toward me and whispered quietly, "Even though daddy says it will be a boy, mommy says I am going to have a new sister. I hope I get a little sister, but a little brother would be alright too." She giggled at the thought.

I laughed soundlessly. She turned on her heel and started to walk away. Her head craned back and she said, "Thank you again, I have to go see my mom now though." With that, she turned down another corner and disappeared from my sight.

As I started rolling the baby again, towards her mother's room, an earlier question popped into my head again. 'Is this your baby?' 'Why did that affect me so much? I have dealt with babies almost every week, for as long as I have worked here. Sure, no one has ever asked me that before, but why would I react like that.'

As I pushed the cradle into the mothers room, I was still in deep though. The new father rushed over the baby and thanked me. I automatically smiled, used to the routine. I would push the baby into the room, I would leave, and the new parents would fuss over the infant. They would decide whose eyes the baby had, where she got her nose from, carefully count every finger, and toe. If a name had not been chosen, they would decide to name her after some significant woman in their families. She could be named after one of her grandmothers or even great grandmothers. I silently bowed out of the room and shut the door behind me.

As the door clicked, I heard a scream come from the lobby. I quickly rushed down the hall and into the lobby. I found the source of the scream. A young woman sat in a chair, her hand covering her mouth and tears flooded the bottom of her eyes. A young man, I assumed to be her husband, stood in front of her, blocking whatever she was so scared of.

I turned my head and my heart stopped beating. I ignored the wave of nausea, which rolled over my stomach, and started to move. My legs and hands seemed to shake, causing the world to spin slowly in front of my eyes.

Choji stood in the doorway, holding up the body of his fellow teammate. Choji was covered in blood and dirt, none of which seemed to be his own. I reached out to my friend and quickly scanned my eyes over him, 'No gashes, good. Sure there are a few small cuts and bruises, but nothing life threatening.' I thought. My hands shook harder and eyes filled with tears as I turned. "I need a bed now." I yelled towards one of the nurses rushing down the hallway.

I turned back and moved to the other side of the man Choji was holding up. Dirt and blood was everywhere. His face was shielded by his hair. Carefully, I walked his toward the bed a nurse pulled over. Choji lifted him onto the white sheet, which discolored as soon as the body was placed on it. Tsunade grabbed the man's wrist and checked for a pulse. I moved to push the hair out of his face. Ice ran through my veins and stop my heart from beating.

"Shikamaru!" I yelled, I pushed my body towards him, but Chojis' arms wrapped around my frame, stopping my movement. Tsunade bellowed, "Keep her away from him. She cannot help with this." I struggled to get away from him as they quickly wheeled Shikamaru away, but Choji held me in place.

I twisted around, balled my fists, and started to hit Choji in the chest. "Let me go, let me go!" I pleaded, "I can help, I have to help. Shikamaru needs me. Please Choji, let me go."

His arms wrapped tighter around me as the tears fell from my eyes. Silently, he stood in the middle of the lobby, covered in the blood my husband had lost, as my cried echoed through the room.

* * *

><p>I stared at his hand. Gently I laced his fingers with mine. The hours that past had been a blur of misery. One of the nurses told me go home, get a shower, change clothes, and come back. If I wanted to, I could wait in the room Shikamaru would stay in after Tsunade was done healing him. The voice in the back of my head said 'Yeah I can wait there, but he has to be alive to get a room.' I shook the voice from my brain and walked out of the lobby.<p>

Vaguely, I remember Choji walking me to my door, telling me he would meet me back at the hospital. I remember the water hitting my skin. It felt just as cold as I did. Eventually, I ended back up at the hospital.

Shikamaru was so still. The only movement came from his chest, which slowly rose and fell with his breath. Bandages covered his torso and arms. The blanket that lay over him covered the bandages on his legs. 'Even with Tsunade healing him, he is still so injured.'

I slumped forward, resting my forehead on the edge of the bed. As I closed my eyes, pictures from the years past flipped through my head. 'He was always there to protect me; and now, when he needed me the most, I could not help him. Tears started to fall from my eyes again. "Shikamaru, if you can hear me, I need you to wake up. You are my best friend, my husband, my everything. I can't lose you." I said in a weak voice.

I listened, but all I heard was his breath. I closed my eyes again, hoping this was all just a bad dream.

His fingers twitched around mine and my head sprung up. His eyelids struggled to open, but did. Turning his head away from the window, where light from the fading sun poured in, his eyes met mine.

I all but jumped out of the seat and wrapped my arms around this neck. "Shikamaru, you are awake. I was so worried about you.' Tears continued to run down my face. Slowly his arms rose and his hands rested on my back, pulling my closer to him.

"Ino calm down, please, I cannot stand for you to cry. I am fine, a little banged up, but fine."

I moved away and stared at him. "How can you say you are fine? You are covered in bandages. When Choji came in with you, a few hours ago, you were on the brink of death. You`re not fine!"

He smirked at me and said, "That is my cue to say it is just a scratch." When I did not smile back, his smirk faded. "Ino, Tsunade healed me right?" I did not answer, so he continued. "I will be fine. I will heal and the bandages will go away."

He scooted towards one side of the bed and moved the blanket. "Come here Ino." He said patting the empty space on the mattress.

I, carefully, climbed into the bed with him and let his wrap his arms around me. He winced as I hit the bandage covering his left arm, but held me in place when I tried to move away. "Ino, just lay here with me, let me hold you for a while." I wanted to comment, saying how Tsunade would not like this if she walked in and I was lying here, but decided against it.

I laid my head down on the pillow and listened to his breathing settle down. Soon, I too drifted off to sleep, still worried, but happy with the fact that Shika had come home to me.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: If you had not guess, school started back. I started writing this chapter before school resumed, and ended up getting through the <strong>_**past **_**section. After that, I was back in classes and busier than ever. I would sit down and write a paragraph at a time. Tonight, instead of studying for my first big test tomorrow, I took a few hours and finished out the chapter. I meant for this to be done weeks ago, but it took about three times longer than I hoped for. If you have stuck with me and gotten through this chapter, I cannot promise for a fast update, but I will start writing again on Friday, after classes are done, and hopefully get the bulk of Chapter 12 done or at least get it started. Now, that I have updated I can take an hour or so and study for my Physics Test (take a moment and wish me like please!) and then it is off to bed! So until the next update, **

**Blondegirl09**

**Oh, P.S. - Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Hello again beautiful readers. Spring break has arrived, meaning I have time to write! Truthfully, with all of the work, reading, and papers I have typed I completely forgot about the fact that I did not update for two forevers. (Please do not hate me.) As an apology gift, I vow to make this chapter the longest chapter yet, AND have a nice little surprise at the end. *Smiles happily* I love surprises! Thank you to *TheMissMalave*, *Flaming Beauty*, *angelbaby5643*, *Velvetish*, and *Yoky2cool4u* for reviewing. Without further ado, here is Chapter 12!**

**P.S. - I don't own Naruto. If I did, you could just watch this in the anime or manga. I am just writing this story. =)**

What a Life

_I pulled my arms over my head, stretching out the muscles that had not moved throughout the night. With my eyes still closed, I smile and let the sun, shining in from the window, warm the exposed skin the blankets did not cover._

'_This is going to be a wonderful day. The sun is shining brightly, the birds are singing outside of the window, Shikamaru is lying here beside…' _

_I extended my arm, toward where Shikamaru should be lying, and my hand met air. My mood plummeted as I turned my head and Shikamaru was not there. 'Really, he could not be here and snuggle with me, today of all days?' _

_I pushed the blankets away from my body and threw my legs over the side of the bed. As I moved across the room, I thought about were Shikamaru would be. 'Okay let's see, early Thursday morning. His dad is on a mission and his mom is at the flower shop, so he is not at their house. Choji and his father are off training, so he is not with him. Let's face it, he is not going to be all buddy-buddy with my father. Where is he?' _

_After throwing on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, I made my way to the kitchen. I spotted a bowl in the sink and growled. 'Damn Shikamaru, I tell him every day not to leave his dishes in the sink!' After eating a small bowl of cereal, I wash both bowls, slip on my shoes, and slam the front door on the way out of the house._

_I stomped over the green grass in the yard and decided that hopping trees would be faster than walking. As I leapt from branch to branch, I kept racking my brain, wondering where my wonderful, dead if I did not find him soon, husband was._

_I quickly switched from jumping on tree branches, to jumping over roof of houses, as I made it into the town. The light breeze sent the scent of fresh flowers to my nose. As I looked down toward the ground, I saw kids running and chasing each other. Smiling and remembering the past, when I was there. _

_I skidded to a halt when I saw Naruto duck into Ichirakus'. I hopped off of the roof I was standing on and followed him into the ramen shop._

"_Naruto!" I all but yelled, frowning even more when he looked at me with a clueless expression._

"_Hey Ino, what's up? Are you here for ramen too?"_

_Normally, I would have rolled my eyes and ignored his question, but today I was not in the mood for it. "No Naruto, I am not here for ramen. Have you seen Shikamaru? He was not at the house this morning. He did not leave a note, he did not tell me he was leaving, and I have absolutely no idea where he is!" I said, hoping for an answer._

_He scratched his head and seemed to think for a minute. "Uh, oh wait! I saw Shikamaru at the hospital a little earlier. He was talking to Hinata."_

"_Thanks" I yelled over my shoulder as I rushed toward the hospital. Swiftly, I dodged innocent people as I rushed through the busy street. I all but slid through the doors of the hospital, straight to the nurses' station, where Hinata sat blushing timidly at Kiba._

_Both turned toward me when I stated to talk. "Hinata, sorry to interrupt, but where is Shikamaru?" _

_Hinata smiled at me. "He was just here. Um, I think he was going to talk to Lady Tsunade." Once again, I shouted a "Thank You" over my shoulder and rushed toward the Hokage's office._

_I rounded the corner and collided into a poor unsuspecting person. As both of our bodies fell to the ground, arms wrapped around me and protected me from the impact. After we hit the ground and the arms had not retracted, I did not attempt to move. I was so stunned by the past event that my brain seemed to stop._

"_Troublesome women." Two words; that is all it took for my brain to kick back, for my arms to push away from the ground, for my body to stand up, and for my eyes to lock with his._

_I stood there gaping as Shikamaru stood up from the ground and wiped the dust from his clothes. _

"_Shikamaru, I have been looking for you all morning. I woke up and you were gone, you didn't even leave a note." Finishing the sentence with a voice much quieter then when it started. _

_Shikamaru smirked at me. "Sorry Ino, I woke up and decided to go into town. I did not even think it would be a problem. I mean, you were not worried, were you?"_

_I cringed at the humor in his voice. 'Damn, this makes me look weak. Of course, I was worried. He is my husband. In addition, why is he making fun of me today. I would not allow him to make fun of me any other day either, but today is completely off limits!'_

"_Shikamaru Nara, of course I was worried; you were gone." I paused "Don't make fun of me today, of all days. Today is supposed to be happy."_

_A strange look crossed his face and he asked, "What is so special about today?" _

_My stomach dropped and tears welled up and burned my eyes. 'He does not know what today is.' I backed away a few steps and replied, "Its Thursday Shikamaru, that is what makes it so special." I scooted around him and walked toward the tower, leaving Shikamaru standing in the middle of the street._

_When the doors opened, Sakura was standing in the lobby, giving me a strange look. I sat down in one of the chairs and let the tears fall down my cheeks. Sakura rubbed my back as I told her about what happened. Occasionally she would add in a "hmm" or a "Jerk", when she deemed it appropriate. _

_After recalling the events of this morning and crying, I felt both weak and stupid. I wanted to go home, crawl into bed, and be mad at the world. However, that idea was ruined when I realized I lived with Shikamaru and he would question why I was upset._

"_You know Ino, after the jerk forgot what today is, you need a pick-me-up. Let's go shopping!" Sakura said, in a perky voice that had me laughing. _

'_Shopping sounds fun, the perfect way to get my minds off of this.' "Okay Sakura let's go." _

_We shopped for what felt like the rest of the day, stopping to eat lunch, and then shopping again. Sakura drug me into a few of the stores, one in particular that sold dresses. "Ino you have to pick out a dress for Tsunades' formal birthday party next month right?" _

_I agreed with her logic and tried on numerous dresses, of all shapes, sizes, and colors. After picking out the perfect dress, I went to pay, and we left the store. _

_I turned to Sakura, only to notice that she also had a dress in her hand. "Sakura, when did you buy that dress, I tried it on, and we decided it was not right for the party. She smiled explained that, since the dress looked great on me, she bought it and it was a present, to replace what Shikamaru had forgotten._

_As we walked back to her apartment, we talked about the latest gossip going on throughout the village. Hinata and Kiba were officially a couple. Her dad had finally given in and let them pursue a relationship. A new restaurant had opened down the street and Sakura had heard it was fantastic. Neji proposed to Tenten, and the Hyuuga clan was already planning an extravagant wedding for them._

"_Hey Ino, how about we go to that new restaurant. I haven't gotten a chance to go there yet, with Lee on so many missions. You can even wear you new dress." I smiled and quickly agreed, trying to push the idea that I should be eating with Shikamaru to the back of my head._

_We got ready in her apartment and, about an hour later, walked to the front of the restaurant. "Oh darn Ino, I forgot my wallet! Could you stay here for just a minute, I need to run back and get it." Before I could answer, she was gone in a puff of smoke. Looking around, I smoothed the bottom of my dress, and sat on the bench outside of the restaurant. _

"_Having dinner by yourself Ino?" I stood up and turned around at the sound of the voice. Shikamaru was standing behind the bench, with his hands casually resting in his pockets, smirking at me. _

"_Actually, Shikamaru, no I am not having dinner alone. Sakura will be right back. She is having dinner with me." _

_He stepped around the bench and walked closer to me, stopping when he was a touch away and leaned closer, so he could whisper into my ear._

"_I don't think Sakura is coming back; especially because I asked her not to this morning, when I saw her. Besides, don't you think you should have dinner with me? I am your husband and we have been married for a year today, or did you forget?"_

_He stepped back and I noticed that he was wearing a tie. I locked up and locked eyes with him. "You planned this. You made me think you forgot, got Sakura to take me shopping for this dress, got her to get me here, and then you met me here instead. You did not forget about our anniversary did you?" I said never breaking eye contact._

"_That is all true, and no you troublesome women, I did not forget. I spent most of yesterday planning this."_

_Silence took over; I stared at him, trying to process it. Before I could stop it, the first thing I thought spewed from my lips. _

"_You bastard!"_

_Shikamaru bent over, placed his hands on his knees, and started to laugh. Before I knew it, I was laughing too. _

_When the laughing dies out, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and hugged him. "Thank you Shika. This was very sweet of you, even if I was mad at you all day." _

_After we had dinner, we walked home. As we strolled into the bedroom, I noticed something was lying on the bed, a single rose. I smiled brightly and turned to Shikamaru. He was leaning against the door, staring at me. "Shika, I love you." He closed the distance between us. _

_Through the kiss, I heard the zipper of my dress descend as I unknotted his tie. The dress slid from my shoulders to the floor as I unbuttoned his shirt. His shirt fell to the floor as he releases my long hair from the clip that held it up._

_Our discarded clothes lay at the foot of the bed, forgotten. I lay on the bed as Shikamaru drifts over me, my fingers intertwined with his, and he slowly kisses my skin. Our eyes meet and he murmurs, "I love you too" as he slides into me. _

_Before my brain stops, I criticize myself, 'Of course he loves you. How could you ever question it?'_

His face is just inches from mine; our eyes lock on one another's. With him this close, I can feel the body heat radiate off of him, even with the chilled outside air hitting my skin. My legs tangle with his as we fall to the ground. Limbs tangle even more as we fight for dominance. Body weight is shifted as we roll around.

As always, Shikamaru ends up winning our little fight. He straddles me, smirking, knowing he is victorious. In a last attempt, I run my hands up his torso, pushing, trying to shove him away from me. Almost too easily, he grabs my wrists and pins them over my head.

"Ino," He says huskily, bending down and capturing my lips in a mind-melting kiss, "I win."

"Damn!" I shout. He laughs, releases my hands, and stands up. He offers him hand and, as I take it, he pulls me up.

"Why can't I ever win when I spar with you?" I ask as we start to walk home from the training grounds. By the time we made it to the house, he had finished listing the reasons why I always lost; most of them were completely untrue and said to boost his already high ego.

We prepared dinner together and sat down, ready to enjoy both the food and each other's company.

Hours later, after dinner had been completed and showers had been had, we lay together in bed looking at the sky. Luckily, the summer air had cooled off and a cool breeze could be felt through the open window. I rested my head comfortably on Shikamarus' firm chest and, as I gazed at the moon, I could head the beat of his heart.

His arm wrapped around me and rested on my side. I looked at his face and his eyes were calmly watching the sky above, but I could tell he was thinking deeply about something else.

"What are you thinking about Shikamaru?" I questioned. When he did not respond I brought my hand to his chest and rubbed my palm across the skin. Slowly his eyes closed and he turned his head towards me. When he reopened his eyes, they were looking into mine.

"I have a mission. It is a simple one, it should only take about a week or two to complete. I leave tomorrow." His voice was completely serious. I knew he was holding back something.

"Shikamaru, what is it. There is something, about the mission, that you are not telling me. You said it was a simple mission, but something about it is bothering you. Tell me, please." I pleaded.

"You know I can not divulge specific details about a mission. If I told you, there is a possibility you would be in trouble, and I and not willing to risk your safety." He paused. "I can tell you that I am going out of the land of fire and I have to get information, about a target, who is now located in an outlying country. I can also say that this country borders the land of fire."

I blink, almost immediately knowing who the target is. I don't dare say his name. Shikamarus' mission was a simple one, but it was also very dangerous. With his entering this "bordering country", he could be killed and never come home.

"Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" I asked.

"The messenger came with the mission when you were in the shower. I am supposed to leave tomorrow afternoon."

A ball of worry formed in the pit of my stomach. "Well, if you have to leave, I suppose I should let you sleep now." I said as I traced the lines of the muscles on his stomach. He chuckled and flipped our bodies until he hovered over me.

"Actually Ino, I have a better idea."

I watched him walk through the gates, the next afternoon. Shikamaru did truly have a fantastic idea the previous night; one that kept us both up, most of the evening. I yawned and continued to watch him go until he was completely out of sight.

After he left, I slowly made my way to the hospital, to take over my shift from Hinata. As I walked through the doors, I saw Kiba leaning on the nurses' counter, again. This was a pretty normal scene; I walk in, Kiba leans in, says something to Hinata, Hinata blushes furiously. When she turns her head to break eye contact, she notices my presence and blushes a deeper shade of red.

As I go into the back room and change into my uniform, Hinata switches into training clothes and smiles brightly. "Kiba and I are going to go spar."

I smile wickedly and turn to her, fastening the last button on my uniform, and say "You are going to go _spar_ with Kiba and get all hot and sweaty, and roll around on the ground; hmmm sounds like fun" knowing that it will upset her. She deeply intakes a breath and stutters "I-I-I-Ino! Don't say something like that, K-K-K-Kiba would never think about that!" She quickly leaves the room and I follow her. 'Ha, if only she knew!' I think to myself.

After Hinata left, the day went by pretty normally. I checked on a few sick patients, changed some of the diapers in the nursery, and signed a few hospital release forms. One little girl, who broke her arm, got to go home today. This was only after a night of painkillers and observation.

I was walking back from the nursery, when the nausea hit. Hurriedly, I ran to the nearest bathroom and emptied my stomach of most of its contents.

After sitting on the floor, until I knew I was not going to be sick again, I weakly pushed myself up and out the door. Sakura was standing on the other side of the door looking worriedly at me. "Ino are you okay?"

I faintly grin at her. "I think I have that bug going around. I have seen quite a few patients today with it." I slowly breathed out, knowing that Sakura will send me home.

"Come on Ino, let's get you into an examination room. I want to make sure it is this small bug and not the flu that starts around this time of year too."

We walk into an empty room and Sakura pats the chair for me to sit on. I hoist myself up and plop onto the chair. Sakura listens to me heart, checks my blood pressure and pulse, looks into my ears, and listens to my lungs; all things that I did not two hours ago, to other patients.

"Ino, I want to take a blood test, if I hurry I can have in to the lab in today and have the answer tonight. If this is the bug, it will show up in your blood." Sakura says. I cringe when she takes the needle out to draw the blood. Being a nurse has done nothing for my fear of needles.

Sakura let me go home early, promising to cover my shift. Before I went home, I stopped in the flower shop. Luckily, there were no customers. My father looked up as I closed the door and I all but leaped into his arms. "Daddy, I did not know that you were home yet, you were not due back for another week!" I said happily.

After he heard about my incident at the hospital, he walked me home. We talked about his latest mission and how Shikamaru just left.

"Ino, you seem happy, and that is good. I am glad that Shikamaru makes you this happy. However, I have not told you this in a while and I just wanted to remind you about it. If Shikamaru ever hurts you or makes you unhappy I will ring his neck." I half-heartedly laughed. My father still did not completely trust Shika; I hoped he would by now.

I waved goodbye to my dad and went inside the house to lie on the couch. Unable to think of anything else, I read a book until a knock on the door interrupted me.

Sakura let herself in, seeming a bit panicked. In order to steady herself, she sat on the chair opposite of me. I sat up and looked at her, and for the longest time, she just stared back at me. Finally, she opened her mouth to talk, but tears swept down her cheeks and her fingers quickly rose to stop the tears.

'Oh my… am I going to die?' her tears were disconcerting, normally she did not show much emotion when she diagnosed a patient.

"Okay forehead, spit it out. What rare disease do I have? Is it treatable? How long am I going to live?" I said, wishing she would stop stalling and answer me.

"Ino I don't know how to tell you this, I saw the labs and ran straight here. I could not even wait until tomorrow. With our history, I though you should know immediately. I wish Shikamaru was here too because you are going to need emotional support after I tell you. You are going to need to quit working. Tsunade will not allow you to work, in this condition. Before I say this, you need to know that when the time comes will make you as comfortable and painless as possible."

The fear crept into my limbs and my hands started to shake. "What is wrong Sakura?"

She paused again, "You're pregnant."

Time seemed to stop. All of the signs displayed in my head. I was off of my cycle, I was getting sick, and I had to pee _all of the time_!" As quickly as time stopped it started again and I as launching myself at Sakura. She met me midair and as we hugged, we laughed hysterically.

"Sakura you made me think I was going to die! I'm not going to die… I' m not going to die… I am going to have a baby." I smiled brightly and sat back down on the couch, "I am going to have a baby, Shikamarus' baby. Shikamaru and I are going to be parents."

I counted it out in my head, "I am about three months along right?" Pausing, "Meaning in six months Shikamaru and I are going to be parents!"

Sakura and I talked about everything from the gender to the name of the child for the next few hours. When I finally fell asleep, I was smiling, thinking about a baby Shikamaru dressed in infant clothes.

Over the next two weeks, I notified Tsunade of my leave of absence. Obviously, I cannot go on missions when I am pregnant. I had a small family dinner, with Shikamarus' parents and mine and told them about it. As I predicted, both of our moms were ecstatic. The argued about colors for its room and names, for the rest of the night.

Shikamarus' father smiled almost immediately, muttering something along the lines of "I hope he gets a son who is as lazy as he is. It would serve him right." However, following the comment he gave me a hug and congratulated me.

My father was unsurprisingly quiet. He did not say one word after dinner. He even avoided eye contact with me. As he and my mother left, he pulled me in for a hug and smiled at me. "Ino you will be a wonderful mother. I am very happy for you and Shikamaru." His frown disappeared, "I had not realized you two had taken your relationship to that level yet. You have only been married for a year. But now that I know I promise not to kill him for it."

"Inoichi, would you leave her alone. You would not have killed Shikamaru anyway, he is your best friends son and you son-in-law." My mother scolded him. "Good night Ino dear. Pass on our good wishes to Shikamaru when he comes home."

The next morning, Shikamaru came home right on schedule. 'Damn him' I thought when I heard him call out for me. He had walked in the door at the exact time I had to run into the bathroom.

When he walked into the bathroom, I was hanging over the toilet, draining my stomach of the breakfast I had just eaten. All I could think was 'what is the point of eating food at all, if all I can do is spew it back out?' Shikamaru slowly kneeled beside me and held back the hair that proceeded to fall into my face. "Troublesome women," He muttered.

When my stomach was empty of food, I brushed teeth to get the horrid taste from my mouth, and Shikamaru carried me to our bed and set me down. He went back to the bathroom and got a cold rag to press on my now flushed face.

For the next few moments, I closed my eyes and let the rag cool my warm skin. Shikamaru ran his fingers through the hair at my scalp. "Are you okay Ino? We can go see Sakura. I am sure she will make a house call for you, if you cannot make it to the hospital." He removed the rag from my skin as he talked. When he finished he stood up, ready to put cool water on the rag again.

My hand shot out and grabbed the bottom of his shirt, preventing him from leaving. He sat back down and stared at me, waiting for an answer.

'Darn I wanted to surprise Shikamaru with the news. Maybe sit down for dinner tonight, light a candle. Well that idea can just jump out of the window.' I thought sarcastically.

"I have already talked to Sakura. This all started the day you left." Shikamaru smirked, "You mean you were sick at the thought of living life for two weeks without me?" I rolled my eyes. "You smart-ass, know I was not 'sick at the thought of living life for two weeks without you', I am pregnant." 'Smooth Ino, break it to him easily.'

He sat there silently, staring at me much like I stared at Sakura when she told me. I could almost see the gears turning in his head. He was filing everything away. Bring out all of the information he knew about babies, trying to become an expert on parenthood before he talked again.

I did not give him a chance to say anything. "Hey Shikamaru, while you contemplate this next step in life, would you walk with me? I feel like lying outside in the grass. Maybe we could look up at the clouds while you think." I suggested in the end.

He continued to stay silent, but helped me out of bed and walked with me out to the yard. The entire time we walked, he could not have been two feel from me, unconsciously protecting me from everything.

The soft grass cushioned me as I pressed my back into it. Luckily, there were a lot of clouds to focus on, because Shikamaru still seemed to be in his head.

"We will need to tell Tsunade that you cannot continue to go on missions. It is dangerous for a woman, at any stage of pregnancy, to work in our field. Unfortunately, one of us is going to have to tell your father. He is going to kill me I just know it." He said suddenly. "Oh and how far along are you. Judging by the fact that you are suffering from morning sickness, but you have not gained weight, you are probably towards the middle of the first trimester, right?" He turned his head to look at me for an answer.

"I am three months pregnant, so I am at the end of my third trimester. Yes, I experience morning sickness almost every day; it sucks. I think that I may not be gaining weight because I am still sparing lightly with Sakura." His eyes widened. Before he could freak out I added, "We are being careful, so I don't hurt the baby."

"Oh, and to address your earlier comments, I have already told Tsunade about this, she is excited for us and will take me off of the availability list from missions. I have also already told both of our parents. Everyone seems pretty ecstatic. My father assures me that he will not kill you. I should also add that he said, and I quote "_I am very happy for you and Shikamaru. I had not realized you two had taken your relationship to that level yet. You have only been married for a year._ So I guess he thought that we were not having sex."

I waited for Shikamarus' reaction at the end of my father's quote. He started laughing and I joined him.

I felt Shikamarus' fingers intertwine with mine and looked over towards him. He was already staring back at me. He smiled and said "Congratulations Ino, we are going to be parents. How do you feel?" To respond, I kissed him.

**Well, what did everyone think of Chapter 12? As promised, this is officially the longest chapter in the 'What a Life'! I felt like it was time to add the 'surprise' in also. In my head, the story just seemed to progress like that. School will be over in about one month, more or less. Meaning, hopefully, in a month I can update again. Then I should have the story back on a regularly updating schedule. If you loved, liked, disliked, or hated (oh please no one say that they hated) this chapter… go on and review so I know. For anyone who reviews, they can reach into the imaginary cookie jar and have a cookie! Thank you to all of my readers!**

**Blondegirl09**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: So here we are again. Since I have one week of college left, I decided to celebrate and write another chapter. Sure, I should be cramming for final exams, but I am sure that no one (as in the readers of this story) will complain if I take some time to update. Thank you to *Flaming Beauty* and *TheMissMalave* for the reviews. They made me smile. In my head, I am thinking about how to write this next chapter. I want to add a little bit of Shikamarus' POV into it. I am thinking about having some of Shikamarus' POV in the past part of the story or maybe switching from Ino to Shikamaru throughout the entire chapter, both past and present sections. Right now, I am not sure if this chapter will be as long as the last one. I guess we will all find out…Okay on to chapter 13!**

**P.S. - I don't own Naruto. If I did, you could just watch this in the anime or manga. I am just writing this story. =)**

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><p><span>What a Life<span>

_Ino POV_

_My eyes darted to the clock, on the wall, for the hundredth time this morning. My finger tapped to the rhythm of the headache pounding in my head; thump, thump, thump. I ripped my eyes away from the clock and stared at the man sitting across from me. _

'_How can he be so calm at a time like this?' I thought angrily. I watched his fingers pick up a piece on the shoji board and move it to a different spot. _

_I felt steam start to rise from my ears as I narrowed my eyes and cut them to look out the window. _

'_Damn him.' Feeling the urge to move, and distance myself from him, I tried to maneuver myself to get up from the floor, with no avail. I grabbed the side of the table and pulled, trying to push my weight at the side time. In my head, this worked; but since this was the real world, it only succeeded in scraping the table along the wood floor with a 'screeeeech'._

_Shikamarus' head whipped up and without a word he was already up and walking over to help me. His hands moved to my arm and back, to pull me up, and the corner of his mouth turned up; then he laughed. He actually laughed. _

_After standing up right, I swatted his hands away; this only succeeded in making his smirk bigger._

"_If you do not get that smirk off of your face I am going to remove it for you." I said as I gritted my teeth. "I am serious Shikamaru." The smirk disappeared as he tilted his head and leaned back against the wall behind him. He was doing the one this that seemed to piss me off more than anything lately, looking at me; studying me._

_I felt the words come to the top of my throat. I wanted to yell, scream, at him. Instead, I turned on my heel and waddled toward the door. After ripping the door open, I slowly moved into the yard. 'He is behind me.'_

_Quickly, I turned back around, ending up nose to nose with Shikamaru. "Damn you would you just leave me alone?" I pleaded. _

"_Why don't you tell me what is bothering you. I originally though it may have been the hormones, but this seems to be a little deeper then one of your mood swings." _

_I saw red. 'Mood swings. He thought this was a freaking mood swing. I will show him a damn mood swing! I can't believe him.' Without warning, I threw my fist toward his face; he easily caught it. "Damn you Shikamaru. This is not a mood swing. How can you be so smart and so dumb at the same time? This baby, this thing that is making me look like a freaking blimp, was due exactly one week ago. Do you see a freaking baby?"_

_He started to answer, but I cut him off "It was a rhetorical question. No, Shikamaru there is not a baby because it has your genes. Damn you and your Nara genes! It is probably too lazy to move around. I am going to be fat for the rest of my life. I am going to crave insane amounts and combos of food and waddle for the rest of my life. I am never going to see my feet again. Ever!" Tears started running down my cheeks. 'Damn hormones.' _

_Shikamaru seemed to let out a sign of relief and wrapped his arms around me. "Troublesome women, it has only been one week. You will have the baby and be able to see your feet very soon. Remember, Tsunade and Sakura said that if you did not go into labor soon, they would induce birth. Everything will be fine, you'll see." He stopped and then started speaking again._

"_Come on Ino; let's go sit on the porch. I don't want you to tire yourself out."_

_I laughed, with tears still streaming down my face "You just want to watch the clouds." He smiled at me, but said nothing. _

_After we were seated on the porch swing, I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. A distance away a bird chirped, singing happily. The light breeze I failed to notice earlier swished through the grass. Shika's hand moved over my belly and rested there. _

_It seemed like we sat there for hours. When we finally moved it was time for lunch. Shikamaru, lazy as he is, offered to make lunch; but I declined. 'I have to do something to take my mind off of the baby, or I am going to go crazy._

_He helped me up from the swing and looked up at the sky. I make my way to the kitchen, wondering what I should make for lunch. I grabbed a small pot and started to fill it with water. As I carried it to the stove, a sharp pain moved through me and the pot fell to the ground. _

"_Damn!" I yelled. My clothes were soaking wet and water was all over the floor. Shikamaru all but flew into the kitchen. When he saw the floor, he leaned against the doorframe and laughed. _

_Pushing past him, I waddled towards our room. "If you are so amused Shikamaru, you can clean up the water. _

_Once I made it to our room, I started stripping off the wet clothes. Being practical, I rung them out and threw them into the laundry basket, before putting new clothes on. As I pulled a clean shirt over my head, the sharp pain hit again. I sunk to the floor, clutching my stomach. _

_I could not think until the pain had subsided again. Once I started thinking, one through crossed my mind 'I am in labor!' I sat on the floor, breathing, until another pain came and went. This time when the pain subsided I yelled for help, "Shikamaru."_

_Shikamaru POV_

_ I paced back and forth, avoiding the seats in the waiting room. I could not sit right not. "Shikamaru" she yelled from upstairs. I had taken my time getting to the room, convinced that she was still fed up with me. _

_When I walked through the door, my heart literally stopped beating. Ino was sitting on the floor, her arms were wrapped around her stomach, and she was wincing in pain. _

_I remember every second after that. It took two steps to get to her and gently pick her up from the floor. I remember how she gasped in pain when I moved down the stairs. I ended up using a transportation jutsu to get from the house to the hospital. I took twenty steps into the hospital lobby before Sakura noticed me. She called for a wheel chair and wheeled Ino away, saying that she would call for me in a bit. That was exactly one hour ago. What could they be doing for an hour? Why did labor take so long?_

"_Shikamaru" I cringed and looked over my shoulder. Ino's father was standing near the door of the waiting room. "Why don't you come and sit down with us? They will call you in when they are ready for you."_

_He seemed relatively calm, a complete contrast to me. Reluctantly, I walked into the room and sat across from my mom. She was rambling on to Ino's mother about something. Inoichi sat beside me and started talking. _

"_You did good Shikamaru. You got Ino here and now she is going to have the baby and everything will be fine." He sounded like he was reassuring himself as much as he was me. "Your father would have loved to be here to see his new grandchild. Too bad he is still away with a mission. Although who knows? When a woman is on labor, it can take hours upon hours, he may make it back."_

_I paled when I heard this. 'I cannot take hours and hours of waiting out here.'_

_My though was interrupted by a loud scream coming from the delivery room. I was out of my chair and halfway to the door before I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see my mom staring at me._

"_Shikamaru I have not seen you move that fast ever. I want you to sit back down. Sakura will send someone when it is time for you to go in."_

_I retorted with, "But mom" which was cut off with a glare. "Shikamaru, I will not have you getting in the middle of this when there is nothing you can do yet. Now listen to me. Sit down." Defeated I turned to sit._

_Two agonizing hours later, Sakura came to the door. "Shikamaru, we need you in the room now."_

_Quickly, I jumped up and followed her to the delivery room. As the door opened, we were greeted with another scream from Ino. When the door closed, she looked at me. I moved over to her and reached for her hand, feeling like that was the logical thing to do. She ripped her hand away and started to yell at me. _

"_This is your fault you bastard. Don't you even try to argue that we were both there during the sexual experience because you are not the one going through this. I curse you Shikamaru Nara. I curse" She stopped midsentence to scream in pain. _

"_Damn it Forehead, isn't it over yet?" Sakura glared at her and said something about Ino not being dilated enough._

_Inos' head turned to me again. "I curse you. I curse your parents for having you. I curse everyone in this room, because I still do not have ice chips!" She said making sure she was louder for the last part." _

_I pulled up a chair and sat by Ino. "Sakura" I said as I turned to her "If Ino still in having contractions, why am I in here now." She smiled sweetly at me. "Well Shikamaru, Ino has been at this for the last three hours and we figured that, since you are half responsible for this, you should join in the fun."_

_After four hours of 'fun' I was about ready to pull my hair out. Ino had gotten her ice chips. She walked around, yelled, sat down, yelled, threw a pillow at the nurse who tried to give her an epidural, and yelled again. Sakura ended up convincing Ino to get the epidural. That was in experience in itself._

_After one contraction, that seemed particularly painful, Sakura announced to Ino that she should start pushing. I grabbed Inos' hand and she did not try to pull it away._

"_Push" Sakura would say, followed by Ino putting an inhuman amount of pressure on my hand, and in turn, she pushed. This process repeated several times. I kept my eyes on Ino, telling her to keep pushing, that it was all okay. I murmured, "I love you" a few times, which I was not sure if Ino hears or not. _

_I took a rag with my free hand and wiped her face. Sweat beaded on her skin. She was getting tired. Sakura said, "Push" again, Ino replied with an "I can't". Sakuras' eyes met Inos' and she sat there, speechless. _

"_Ino" I said running my free hand over her upper back, "You have to push. I know that you are tired, but you have to."_

_Her big blue eyes turn to me, she whispered, "I can't" again. _

_I looked to Sakura, who shrugged her shoulders. We were both stumped. Ino was not the type of person to give up. _

_I racked my brain for ideas and went with the first one I could think of. The one that may get my killed._

"_Well Ino, your troublesome woman. I thought that you could do anything. I mean just this morning, you were complaining that you would be pregnant and fat forever; that you would never see your feet again. You were damning my Nara genes. Maybe you are the lazy one. I guess you will just continue to have all this extra weight. You can forget about ever being a ninja again. I will have to do everything. Make the money and cook. I will even have to help you move around the house, because you weigh too much to move yourself. I guess you can just waddle around."_

_I felt the, already tight, grip on my hand tighten even more and noticed that it started to turn a pale purple color. Ino pushed, and pushed, and pushed. After what felt like hours I cry filled the room._

_Ino and I stopped breathing and stared at each other. "Are you ready for this?" we both asked silently._

_An impossibly small thing wrapped in a pink blanket was handed to Ino. She released my hand and started to fix the blanket that was wrapped around the infant. Dark hair covered the top of the baby's head, and striking blue eyes looked up at Ino._

_Inos' hand reached for mine again and put it on the blanket, where I could feel the light flutter of the baby's heart. _

_My gaze met Inos' when Sakura announced, "She is a girl."_

"_What do you want to name her Shikamaru?" Inos' tired voice hit my ears. I thought about it for a second. "I want to carry on the Ino-Shika-Cho tradition, so what do you think of Shikamae?" I asked._

_Ino smiled. "Shikamae Nara, I like it."_

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><p>The sun had long set as I made my way home. The moon lit the path to the house, and as I neared it, I could see Ino had left a light on for me.<p>

The month long mission was draining. I had been given a relatively easy mission, to take a few scrolls to Suna, have the Kazekage sign them, attend a few meeting about peace and whatnot, then come home.

Of course, missions never go exactly as they should. On my way back to the village, I was attacked by enemy ninja, a lot of them. 'What a drag' I thought.

The sun was just setting when I walked through the village gates. I stopped into the Hokage's' tower, filed my mission report, explained how I was attacked, then explained how I defeated all of the enemy ninja, and left. The whole process took far too long for my liking.

I walked through the doorway, closing the door behind me, and removing my shoes. Ino was nowhere to be seen. "I know where she is," I said to no one in particular,

Quietly, I moved through the house and up the stairs. I rounded the doorway to the nursery and saw Ino leaning over the crib, with the arms resting on the railing for support. I walked to her and stood beside her; silently I looked over the side of the crib and saw our daughter sleeping peacefully. My eyes moved to Ino, who was in a world of her own; half-asleep and completely oblivious to the fact that I was standing there.

I gently rubbed my lips over her temple, then quickly avoiding her hand, as she lashed out at the 'intruder'.

Ino POV

My fingers narrowly missed his jaw. 'How could he have gotten in the house, walked up the stairs, and gotten this close to me, all without me noticing? I have gotten way to rusty over the pregnancy!'

Shikamaru smirked at me, making me almost forget to feel bad about lashing out at him. I looked back over the crib, making sure Shikamae was all right, and grabbed Shikamarus' arm; leading him out of the nursery.

Once we were in our room and the door was closed, I finally talked.

"How could you do that? If either of us would have made a noise, Shikamae would have woken up. Do you know how difficult it is to get her to sleep?" I questioned. 'Of course he knows he helped raise her for two months before the mission!' I silently scolded myself.

His smirk grew, "Ino, troublesome woman, we could stand here all night while you scold me, or we could crawl into bed and go to sleep. Personally, I would prefer to go with the second option; the first is too troublesome."

"Did you just use troublesome twice in under a minute?" I said in an agitated voice.

Deciding that sleeping sounded fantastic, I turned on my heel and pulled the covers away from the mattress. I slipped into bed, with my back to the rest of the mattress, and pulled the fabric back over me. As Shikamaru got into bed, the mattress shifted with the weight and the blankets started to pull away from me.

"Shikamaru Nara you will not take the blankets from me." I said in an almost menacing voice.

The weight on the mattress shifted again as the pull on the blankets was released. My husband's arm wrapped around my waist and I was pulled towards him.

I closed my eyes and sleep started to cloud my brain.

'I can finally sleep easy. Shikamae is safe in her room, Shikamaru is back from his mission, and I don't have anything to worry about.' I thought with a sigh of relief.

My eyes sprang back open when a cry pierced through the silence. Shikamae had woken up. I could have cried as well. I started to move toward the side of the bed when Shikamarus' arm untangled from my waist. When I looked, he was already up and walking to the door.

As he opened the door he looked over his shoulder, "I can get her this time, you sleep."

He disappeared into the dark hallway saying "I am coming you troublesome child, stop crying!"

I giggled quietly and rolled back over to my side. I sighed in relief once more when the crying stopped, "Best husband ever!"

With that I closed my eyes and let sleep take over.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Okay so the chapter was not written as fast as I would have liked. School is officially over, but I have been working almost nonstop… bad timing to try to write another chapter. Anyway, there was Chapter 13! Summer is here, so I will have more time to write! Until the next Chapter…<strong>

**Blondegirl09**

**Oh P.S. Almost forgot… Please Review! I love reviews!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Authors Note: Okay so obviously I did not update as soon as I planned. This summer was busier then I planned and it has been a little hectic. I am taking a summer class for college, vacation time is finally over (three vacations planned in 3 months), and I start school (6-8 classes a semester) in a little under a month. Then I should add on that I finally turned 21 last month! In addition, I have had major writers block. I would sit down to the computer and try to type, after about an hour I end up playing Tetris or pinball; I have even found myself doing school work, a week early, instead of typing up a new chapter. I know I am slacking, procrastinating, and being a horrible author, but when I open up my laptop and a brick wall, literally, hits me in the face, I cannot help but find something else to do. Fortunately, for everyone reading this story, I have been riding in a car for about 5 hours and an idea just magically popped into my head! Therefore, without further explanation, let chapter 14 begin.**

**P.S. - I don't own Naruto. If I did, you could just watch this in the anime or manga. I am just writing this story. =)**

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><p><span>What a Life<span>

'_Knock knock knock' the sound echoed through the empty street as a rapped my frozen fingers on the door. My hand buried itself back in my coat pocket and I tilted my head up, toward the sky, and let the falling snowflakes land on my face. The icy flecks melted on my skin. I flexed my fingers and pulled my hand out of my pocket and up to knock again._

_As my fingers made contact with the door again, it swung open and I was greeted with utter happiness._

"_Ino-pig you are finally here! Come in, come it, you must be freezing!" Sakura said cheerfully. "Why aren't you wearing gloves or a scarf? If you did not notice, it is snowing outside. You will catch a cold." _

_I frowned in response, "Shikamae is going through a stage. She hides everything and anything she can get her hands on; including my gloves and scarf. Shikamaru is looking for them now." I paused while Sakura giggled. "This isn't funny Sakura. I was half an hour late to the hospital yesterday because she would got my snow boots and hid them in her 'special super-secret hiding spot'." Sakuras' giggles turned into full-blown laughs. "Shikamaru almost missed a meeting with Lady Tsunade because Shikamae took hit scrolls and we had to turn the house upside down looking for them." Tears started running down her face. "Well Aunt Sakura, I am glad you think this is so amusing. Shikamaru and I will send her to your house next time she wants to play 'hide all of your important things."_

_The laughing stopped. "We will see how funny it is when Shikamae hides your kunai or Lees' green spandex suit." She looked up at me and smiled. "Ino you know that the green spandex suits got 'lost' during the move." It was my turn to laugh. "Seriously though Ino, Lee and I would love to watch Shikamae. She is always and angel with me."_

_I rested my hands on her shoulders and sighed, "You are a life saver!"_

_The front door opened and Lee walked in from the snow. "What am I missing? This looks like a youthful event of reassurance. Let's all run into the snow and…" He was cut off by a glare from Sakura._

"_Lee, darling, why are you here?" Before he could answer, she moved to him and ushered him back out of the open door. "You are staying with Guy-sensei tonight remember. You are not allowed to see me before the ceremony tomorrow." She quickly kissed him and shoved him out onto the road._

"_I wanted to come and say good night to you. Sweet dreams Sakura! I love you and I will see you tomorrow." He announced from his spot on the road, then turned and jogged through the snowy street._

_I smiled as Sakura turned back into the house and shut the door behind her. A smile etched itself on her face. 'I don't think she has stopped smiling like that for the past week.' I thought to myself._

_I hung my coat on an empty hook and moved into the living room. After about a second of debate, in my head, I chose to sit on the floor near the fireplace. Sakura followed my lead with a few blankets and sat beside me._

"_I love what you have done with the house Sakura. You always work, more so than I do, and you have turned this house into a home for you and Lee in two weeks." I paused, thinking back over the year we had known each other. "Forehead, I can't believe that you are getting married tomorrow. It seems like just yesterday we were fighting over Sasuke. Now I am married with a child and you are getting married; and to Lee none the less."_

_Sakura beamed, "Who would have thought it?"_

"_Okay Sakura, enough chit chat, get up to your room and go to bed. I will crash on the couch. We have to be up early tomorrow. We have to do your hair, makeup, and get dressed, all before 10 am!"_

_After Sakura went upstairs and I was curled up on the couch, I allowed myself to think about my family at home. 'Shikamae is tucked into bed, the night light is on, and scaring off any monsters that might come her way. Shikamaru is probably playing shoji against himself, and winning." I laughed lightly at the thought._

_Missing the warmth of the bed, Shika and I shared; I pulled the blanket up a little higher and closed my eyes. _

_Eight hours later, I was up again. I started up the stairs as I mentally checked things off from my list. 'Pillow and blankets put away, check. Start a pot of coffee, check. Drink my first cup of coffee, check. Take out hair clips, hair spray, pins, and all forms of makeup, check. Wake up the bride, hold on.'_

_Pausing the checklist, I opened Sakuras bedroom door, grabbed a throw pillow that was thrown near the door, and launched it at the unsuspecting target. "Wake up Forehead, time to make you presentable enough to get married." _

_As the pillow, along with an alarm clock and shoe, were launched back at me, I rounded the door way and all but flew down the stairs._

_Sakura trudged down behind me, muttering something along the lines of "Bitch can't wake anyone up nicely" and sat in the chair I set up for her. I grabbed her cup of coffee, with two sugars and cream, from the kitchen and pushed it into her hand. By the time I got the toast to her, the coffee was gone._

"_Okay Sakura, upstairs and shower. Hurry, don't sit around all day, we are on a time limit." A much more alert and awake Sakura rushed up the stairs to shower. _

_I took that opportunity to open up the curtains and take the first look at what the snowstorm brought up. There was about a foot and a half of snow on the ground. Normally this would not have been a problem, but Sakura would be leaving this house in a dress. My eyes darted up to the rooftops; I noticed footprints. 'If we are extremely careful, and use plenty of chakra, we can jump from the roofs and make it with no problem.'_

_I turned from the window and moved to the down stairs bathroom. Quickly, I scrubbed my skin and washed my hair, only taking a second to enjoy the warm water. After getting out of the shower and drying off, I clipped up my hair and dressing in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. _

_Sakura came down the stairs as I exited the bathroom and we got to work. Her hair was dried and clipped up into a very pretty bun. _

_Next, we did her makeup. Sakura suggested we stick with natural tones; I did as she asked, but added a bit of shiny lip. She headed up the stairs to get her dress on. I removed the clip from my hair and it had dried. I brushed it out and added a touch of makeup to my face. After I was finished, I pulled my outfit from the closet and got dressed. _

'_I am glad I decided to wear black pants instead of a dress. I would have frozen outside!'_

_I looked at myself once in the mirror and decided I looked fantastic. I moved up the stairs and knocked on Sakuras door once before opening it and entering the room. I stopped and smiled at her as tears filled my eyes._

_Sakura stood in the middle of the room, looking at herself in the mirror. She chose a short white dress, even though it was winter. Her winter coat would cover to her knees and the snow boots would cover the rest. _

"_How do I look Ino? Do I look ready to get married?" She asked as she started walking toward me. "You look ready to walk down the aisle. Congratulations Sakura."_

_She smiled, "I think I'll stick with hokage tower. I have too much to do to have a wedding like yours Ino-pig."_

_I grabbed her shoes, that she would wear at the tower, and followed her down the stairs. We slipped out coats and winter boots on, locked the door behind us, and started jumping on the roofs._

_When we arrived at our destination, it had started snowing again. After we got through the door, Sakura and I both switched shoes and walked to Tsunades office. Sakura and Lee were getting married down stairs, in the auditorium, but Lady Tsunade said we could sit in her office until the actual wedding started. After all, Lee was not supposed to see her until they said their vows._

_Sakura pushed the door open and we walked into the room. "Mommy!" I turned just in time to catch my child as she flew through the air. I hugged her tightly and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. Shikamaru had foregone the terror of trying to put up our daughters' hair. I set her down and she ran over to Sakura and repeated the 'flying' process._

_Shikamaru appeared to be sleeping on the couch in Lady Tsunades' office. I snuck over to him and stuck my finger out to poke his arm. Before I could poke him, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to him, kissing me. _

"_Troublesome women haven't you learned to not try and sneak up on me; it never works." I smiled at him and noticed his tie. Shaking my head lightly I fixed it. "What did you do Shika, try and tie the tie like a shoe lace?"_

_He smirked, "Shikamae and I struck a deal. She could tie my tie if I did not do her hair." I rolled my eyes and decided not to comment. _

_The door opened and Tsunade walked in. "Is everyone ready? It is time to get married!" We all walked down stair and the ceremony started. Shikamae sat in Shikamarus' lap, content with looking out the window at the accumulation snow._

_I glanced at the families here. Lees' parents smiled at the couple, while Sakuras' mom cried. Sakuras' father wrapped a supportive arm around her and smiled at his daughter._

_As the vows were said, Shikamaru entwined his fingers with mine. I lay my head on his shoulder and sighed. When the kiss came, Shikamae made a face and I laughed._

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><p>"Yes Mrs. Takashi, I am sure that your daughter will love these flowers." I said to a customer from across the counter. "Tulips are her favorite. She went on her first mission last week and she is due back today." She said happily.<p>

I wrapped paper around the fresh tulips and tied a ribbon around the paper. As I concentrated on curling the ribbon, I heard a small voice come from the counter. I looked up and saw Shikamae smiling brightly.

"Mrs. Takashi." She said as she clasped her small fingers around the customers skirt and tugged gently. "Here you go" Shikamae said handing Mrs. Takashi a sunny daisy. "Mommy said that if a customer buys a dozen flowers, then they get a daisy." Shikamae skipped to the back of the store and Mrs. Takashi looked shocked.

As she turned back to me, she said, "Ino, she can't be more than three years old. She is very bright. It is amazing!"

I smiled proudly. "I would love to take the credit for that, but she is a Nara. Shikamaru gave her quite a brain."

Mrs. Takashi turned to leave as the bell rung, notifying me that another customer was here. "Welcome to the Yamanaka flower shop." I said cheerfully as I deposited the money, Mrs. Takashi left, into the register.

"Hmm, a Nara working at a flower shop, interesting." Recognizing the voice, I smiled and looked up. "Hello Shikaku, what can I get you. Something for you anniversary with Mrs. Yoshiro; hint, hint."

"Well I…" He was cut off by the battle cry and running feet of my daughter. "Grandpa!" She was in the air and latched around 'Grandpa' in the blink of an eye.

A few moments later, Shikamae was hanging from Shikakus' back and she was pointing him to a very pretty arrangement of flowers that 'grandma would love'.

My dad come out from the back room and put his best 'sad' face on. "Oh I see, my helper is leaving me for a Nara, I can't believe this, first my daughter, now my granddaughter. Kami, why do you punish me?"

Looking at the clock, I rounded the counter and gave dad my apron. "I have lunch with Sakura now, Shikamae, would you like to detach yourself and come see aunt Sakura with me?"

She held on to Shikaku tighter and announced that she was going home with grandpa. She and grandma were going to bake cookies. I shook my head and smiled at her. "Okay be good for grandma and grandpa."

I walked to the hospital and over to the nurses' station. "Hey Sakura, ready for lunch?" She looked up at me and put the pen she was holding down. She seemed a little off. 'Well I'll have to get to the bottom of this.'

We grabbed two salads from the cafeteria and sat down at a table. She poked at the lettuce and stayed silent.

"Okay forehead, what is wrong?" She stared at the table for a moment and locked eyes with me. "I think I am pregnant."

I sat there stunned for a moment. "Pregnant?" She nodded. "You and Lee have only been married for three months. I mean it is possible, of course. Have you taken a test?" She shook her head. "Well let's finish lunch and we can go get an answer."

An hour later, I sat in the room with Sakura, waiting for the test results.

A nurse knocked on the door, interrupting the silence. I took the paper from her and opened it, quickly scanning it. Sakura looked at me for an answer. I smiled at her. "Congratulations Sakura, you are about three months pregnant."

She sat there, in the chair, absorbing the news. Her head fell a bit and her bangs covered her eyes.

When her head moved back up, tears sprang from eyes, and a smile covered her face.

"Lee was talking about having a family in the future. He meant a little later in the future, but he is going to be so happy." She took a breath. "Ino, I am going to have a baby."

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off? I can take over your shift. Lee should be over to the training grounds with his genin team; you should go and tell him." After a few minutes of arguing, Sakura walked out of the hospital and I signed in.

Later that night I walked home. It was a beautiful spring night. Crickets sang and a slight breeze whistled through the trees.

I stopped by my in-laws house and picked up my sleeping daughter. As I carried her home, I realized how much she had grown. She used to fit in the crook of my arm, now not so much. Her dark hair drifted past her shoulder blades. As I walked up to the door, it opened, revealing I tired looking Shikamaru.

He held the door open and I stepped inside. Carefully, I went upstairs and tucked our sleeping child into her bed.

I tiredly moved out of the room, switching the nightlight on as I left, and walked into the bedroom. I stripped off my clothes and pulled on a pair of pajamas. After brushing my teeth and brushing out my hair, I all but fell into bed.

Shikamaru came into the room seconds later and repeated my process.

He crawled into get and stared at the ceiling. I propped myself up on one elbow and kissed him goodnight. Then I started to turn to the opposite side. His hand grabbed my arm and stopped me, turning on his side.

"Troublesome women, what is going on? You have not said two words to me since you got home." He questioned. I thought for a second and turned back to him. "There is a lot on my mind and I am somewhat tired." He listened. "I took over Sakuras' shift at work after lunch. She left early and I volunteered. I shouldn't be saying anything, but she knows that I tell you everything." Pausing again, "Sakura is pregnant. She is ecstatic."

"Well that sort of blows what I wanted to talk about out of the water." It was my turn to wonder. He waited a moment, seeming to compose his thoughts.

"I have been thinking about this for a few months; since Sakura and Lees' wedding. I know you, I know how you think, I know what you like, I know just about everything one can know about another. However, I have no idea what you will think of this. The last time this happened, it was a surprise, completely unplanned. What would you say about having another baby?"

I was taken back. What he said was true, Shikamae was a complete shock; a happy one. Another baby would mean up all hours of the night, again. More diapers, baby formula, and baby food. Another brain to teach. Another baby to love, to hold, to snuggle up with and protect from the world.

"Okay, we can have another baby; but this time you carry it for nine months and go into labor."

Shikamaru laughed, really laughed. I smiled pushing the hair that had fallen in front of his face.

"Shikamaru, I have given you my answer, when would you like to start working on it?"

He stared at me, "I thought you were tired." I pushed him onto his back and climbed over him. "I guess I got some energy back."

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><p><strong>Authors Note: Well there it is! Please, please, please, please review! Until the next chapter.<strong>

**Blondegirl09**


	15. Chapter 15

**Authors Note: I AM BACK! I know that I have not updated in months… almost a year! However, I can now happily say that the two semesters from hell are finally done. I am not exaggeration at all. I had six classes in one semester; five of those classes were half semester classes, one full semester. Half semester classes mean that you get all the work of a full semester class, in half the time. I had APA formatted papers coming out of my ears. Then I started the next semester, after Christmas, and I had five more classes. All of these classes had ridiculous amounts of writing due and little time to do it. Since I waited so long to start writing again, I had to reread Chapter 14. I am inspired and so excited now! Thank You to 'mdtiger', 'Reverence of the Night Rain', 'andersoncami95', 'NarutoFanner', and 'Lostinshanghai' for the reviews on the last chapter. Here's hoping that you, plus anyone else still reading the story, will do the same for this one. Here we go! **

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><p><span>What a Life 15<span>

Shikamarus' POV

_The chilly wind whipped against my face as a jumped through the air. Chakra pumped into my feet and I stuck to a branch of a giant tree. The snap of a twig alerted me to the right, almost directly, under where I now stood. _

_Silently my feet moved to the left, I ducked into tree hollow and crouched down. I sat down on the floor of the hollow and waited. _

_The chakra of the enemy was strong at the floor of the forest. 'Hopefully they won't decide to make camp here. It would be so troublesome to stay up here all night.'_

_Seconds turned into minutes of waiting. As I prepared to wait until morning, I heard shuffling and the strong chakra slowly dissipate. 'Did they leave?' I silently asked myself. Moving quickly, I scanned the area. The enemy moved away from my hiding place. I retreated into the hollow and sighed in relief._

_Opening the pocket in my flask jacket, I pulled out a crumpled letter._

_**"Dear Shikamaru,**_

_**You should have picked this letter up from the base at the border of the Fire Country. I wrote this letter only days after you left. Depending on the time, you should be reading this about a week after the start of your mission. Two days after you left, I went to the hospital for the regulated vaccinations; I found out that I am pregnant… surprise! I know we have only been trying for a few months and I wanted you to be the first to know. Well technically Sakura was the first to know, but you are officially the first person I have told. I would love to wait until you get home to tell everyone else; however, your mission is pretty long and it is only a matter of time before people will find out. At this point, I am a little over three months pregnant, which leaves six months for you to get your butt back here in time for the birth of our second child. Don't you dare say 'how troublesome'; six months is plenty of time. I wish you were here now to celebrate the news with me. Don't worry about us; we will be fine until you get back. I will be telling our parents and Shikamae the wonderful news later today, after mailing this letter to you. Concentrate on the mission and return home safely. **_

_** All of my love,**_

_** Ino Nara"**_

_My eyes skimmed the page for the thousandth time. I first received this letter a year ago, right before an opponent captured me. _

'_One year seized in a cell, locked away in a foreign country, missing my family and friends. I have missed the birth of my child. I am not even sure if they are okay. What is Ino got sick or didn't make it through the birth? What if she lost the baby during the pregnancy?' I shook my head, as if to block the questions that had circled through my mind away. _

_I could not allow myself to think of these scenarios. 'Be optimistic' I told myself. Once again, I crept from the hollow and jumped out into the night._

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><p><em> Slowly, I opened my eyes. I immediately had to shut them again for the bright light that blinded me. I heard a gasp and feet moving away. The light on the other side of my eyelids dimmed a bit and I attempted to look at my surroundings. <em>

_I instantly recognized a Konoha hospital room and the pink haired nurse standing beside my bed._

"_Shikamaru, you are awake. Do you know where you are? Do you know who I am?"_

_I smirked, "I am back in Konoha. You are Sakura. We have known each other since school. A few months before I left you married Rock Lee and were expecting your first child; which obviously you have given birth to and returned to work."_

_Sakura smiled dreamily and could seem to hold back a giggle. "Actually, Mr. Smarty-pants, I gave birth to twins. Lee and I have two beautiful daughters, whom Lee loves and has vowed to protect with his life."_

_I frowned. Sakura seemed to read my mind._

"_Ino is fine. She and your second born are at home resting."_

_I quickly barraged her with questions. "How long have I been unconscious? Does she know I am here? Do we have a son or daughter? How is Shikamae? What about my parents? What have I missed in the year I was gone?"_

_Sakura laid a hand on my arm. "Calm down Shikamaru. You have only been out for a few hours. We picked you up at the gate just before sunrise. Given the short time, no one has notified Ino that you have returned. As for the rest, you will have to find out when you get home. I can release you after you answer a few questions. You are physically fine, just a few scratches, and bruises. Tell me about the mission and I can let you leave."_

_After an hour of questions and answers, retelling about the mission, and going into deep detail about my capture, I was permitted to leave. I ran through town, remembering that in a few days I would have to report to the hokage. _

_The idea of seeing my family flooded my mind; I could not wait to see Shikamae, hold my new child, and wrap Ino in my arms. This made me run faster. _

_When I made it to my front door I all but burst through it. I sprinted around the downstairs before jogging up the stairs. No one was home._

"_You have got to be kidding me! The troublesome woman isn't even home!" I all but yelled in frustration._

_Then I felt it. 'That is Inos' chakra!' I thought. I opened the window and jumped to the ground. Sprinting again, I hurried towards Ino. I saw her. Her hair lightly blew in the breeze. She carefully hung laundry out on the line with my mother. She turned, saw, ran. _

_Opening my arms, I caught her mid-jump._

"_Shikamaru! Oh my God, Shikamaru. You were gone. You left for so long. I cannot believe it!" She said between breaths as hot tears ran down her cheeks. _

_I kissed her, hugged her, and held her. All at once, I stopped, put my hands on her shoulders, and moved her, so slightly, away from me. "Where is she? Where is he? Where is our child?" She smiled brightly. Taking my hand she led my toward the house. Opening the door, I heard the sound of laughter._

"_Grandpa! Put me down. I am not a baby; you don't have to carry me around the room! Carry Shikano!" The loud voice, I instantaneously recognized as Shikamae, screeched. _

_Peering into the room, I saw my father, appearing the same as the day I left, holding Shikamae high in the air. _

_Shikamae looked older. I felt a punch in my stomach, 'I missed my little girl growing up'._

_I saw him. Yes, I had a son. Thick black hair covered his tiny head. My feet planted in their spots; I couldn't move. My father locked eyes with me. He didn't say anything for a few moments. He lowered Shikamae so he could whisper to her. After her feet touched the ground, her tiny hands fisted and she seemed to say between closed teeth, "Grandpa, if this is a trick, I will never forgive you." _

_When she turned, tears filled her big blue eyes. Much like Ino had, she launched herself at me, and I caught her mid-air. She wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my torso._

"_Daddy you came back!" That is all I could hear. The rest of her speech was drowned out with tears and gasps of air. I took my free hand and ran it through her hair. Slowly I walked to the couch, sat and waited out the crying. _

_When Shikamae stopped, she pulled herself away from me and wiggled to the floor._

"_Daddy, you have to meet Shikano. He is my baby brother. Mommy found out that she was going to have him when you left. Then one day, a little while ago, we were at home and we were making dinner together. All of a sudden, Mommy was lying on the floor in pain. She was screaming and crying and I ran and got Grandma and Grandpa."_

_It took all I had not to get up and go to Ino. She had to go through that without me. I felt another punch in the stomach._

_Her hands covered her mouth, "Oops, I was not supposed to tell you that." She glanced at Ino, who was still standing silently in the corner of the room. "But now you know, so you have to meet him. He is really small. Mommy said I was that small once." _

_She grabbed my hand and pulled me. I stood up and followed her. I knelt down and stared at him. I moved my hand to him. It seemed so big next to the small body._

"_He rarely cries." Ino said over my shoulder. When I looked, Ino had moved into the room and my father was nowhere to be found. "Your mother says he takes after you as a baby. He sleeps constantly and is rather quiet, unless he is hungry." _

_I turned back when I felt a tiny hand wrap around my index finger._

_I locked eyes with my son. All at once, I realized that he looked just like me; dark hair, dark eyes._

_I had to say his name once. Strangely, I felt if I didn't say it, this would not be real._

"_Shikano."_

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><p>Inos' POV<p>

"Damn it Shikano, get back here!" I yelled.

I turned and yelled into the house, "Shikamaru go get your son. I told him to stay out of the rain; it is almost time for dinner. What does he do? He opens the door and runs outside. If you don't get him in here, I am going to ring both of your necks!"

I frowned at my husband as he strolled past me. He stopped and backtracked. Quickly, I felt his hand press into the small of my back and his lips lock with mine.

"Oh my god! Please don't do that when Hinato gets here. Please, please, please!" I heard the pleas of my daughter from the stairs. I pushed Shikamaru away and looked, knowing what I would see before I looked.

Shikamae was standing halfway down the stairs; a horrified expression covered her face. "You guys are so troublesome!"

I turned to glare at the man standing before me. "Who taught her that Shikamaru?" He turned and strolled out the door. I turned back to the teenager standing the stairway. "Shikamae, go set the table. I will rip out your vocal chords if I hear you say 'troublesome' again. I already have to deal with it from your father and your brother."

She stomped down the stairs and into the dining room. I moved into the kitchen to finish preparing the meal.

The front door opened, chaos could be heard from the space. I turned just in time to see a dripping Shikamaru and Shikano enter the room.

"I found him. Would you like to kill him not or wait until the guests arrive?" I crossed my arms and stared at the boy, who was growing to be as tall as the man beside him was.

"Shikano Asuma Nara. You will march yourself upstairs and change. I don't want to hear a sound." I said in my best 'Mom' voice. Quickly, the boy ran toward his room. Shikamaru moved to me and attempted to wrap his arms around me. I stopped him mid-hug and pushed him away. "You should go change too, you look horrible!"

Shikamae waltzed into the room. Shikamaru glanced at her, turned to me, and quickly moved his gaze to the 16-year-old.

"I am not the only one who needs to change. Young lady you get up to your room and put different clothes on. I want you in something that covers all of the skin from your neck to your ankles. Don't give me that look. You are too young to be wearing a dress that short!"

I decided not to argue that the dress ended at her knees, or that it was longer than anything I would have worn at her age.

He turned to change and Shikamae stood in the doorway of the kitchen, mouth agape, as her eyes moved to me.

"You heard your father. Don't worry Sweetie, your father is going through a phase. My father went through the same thing. If they are anything alike, the phase should end in about twenty years or at least clam a bit." I ushered her to the stairs as I heard the first knock on the door. Rushing, I grabbed the handle and pulled the door open.

Hinata, Kiba, and Hinato stood on the other side. I welcomed them into the house. Hinatas' large belly bumped into me as I hugged her. Kiba and Hinato scooted by me. A flash of Hinato being born went through my mind. Now he was taller that I am and 16-years-old. He inherited his mother eyes, but that was all. Other than the eyes, he was the spitting image of Kiba.

"How are the four of you Hinata?" She smiled. "We are great. They are moving around a lot now. I hate to say it but I cannot wait to get them out, I cannot sleep half of the time because they seem to be sparing inside of my stomach."

I laughed quietly. 'Hinata having triplets, who would of thought?'

Hinato had taken a seat on the couch and a look of fear struck him as Shikamaru entered the room. Shikamae all but jumped down the stairs, quickly jutting in front of her father. She glared at him harshly before transitioning to a smile and turning to Hinato.

Kiba carefully ushered Hinata to a chair before walking over to Shikamaru and starting up a conversation.

Dinner was over. Hinato and Shikamae had moved into the den. Shikamaru, Shikano, and Kiba were 'covertly' spying on the pair of teenagers. Hinata was trying to get Kiba to sit with her, unsuccessfully. I walked over to the trio, pulled Shikamaru out of the pack, and through the back door.

"How long has it been since we have relaxed on the back porch and sat on the porch swing?" I towed him to the swing with me and we sat.

Eventually, Shikamaru calmed down enough to wrap his arm around my shoulders. In turn, I rested my head in on his shoulder. A light breeze swept by. The rain had stopped for now; although, it was bound to start up again.

"I know what your dad was feeling when we were younger. True this isn't an arranged marriage, but I almost want to strangle the kid for touching our daughter."

I leaned against him harder and tried not to laugh.

"Shikamaru, I love you."

Shikamaru jolted forward and locked eyes with me. "Shit, Ino you are not pregnant again are you?"

I looked at him strangely. 'Since when does me loving him mean I am pregnant?' I told him to relax and he sat back against the swing.

I continued where I left off, "We have been together for years, whether it be in friendship or something more. Either way, I have loved you the entire time. I know we still have a ways to go. I plan on seeing this thing through until we are old and have lots of grandchildren to spoil." I stopped to glance at Shikamaru grimace. "We have had our moments. We have had ups and downs. But I'll never regret that arranged marriage." I grinned up at him and he gave me one of the mind-melting kisses that I love so much. "All I can say is, so far, what a life!'

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><p><strong>Authors Note: Written and edited. I want to thank everyone, who has read this, for reading my story. I loved writing it. Shikamaru and Ino are one of my favorite couples and I love writing about them. It does make me sad to announce that this is the last chapter. I feel that this is the right time to end the story. If I continued with it, I would go more into the children's lives, which may or may not make an interesting story or two. Thank you again for the support over these, almost, two years. As I have said in every other chapter… PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! <strong>

**Blondegirl09**


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